Hooks Perfect Storm
by alikat224
Summary: A Reality TV esque drama with our favorite Liason couple and lots of other characters.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Eddie Maine was a great musician but Elizabeth once again rolled her eyes when his mother and grandfather once again interrupted a performance. Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth looked at her cameraman, Milo, and gave a sharp tilt of her head to the left indicating she was headed to the Winnebago. She didn't need to tell Milo to keep filming. He knew what he was supposed to do.

Once in their traveling office and home, Elizabeth hit speed dial and flopped down with a huff into one of the leather captains chairs. Peeling off her four inch heels, she lifted one foot and started massaging it as the other slid up the dashboard to rest on top of it.

"Hey Lulu," Elizabeth said as soon as she heard the perky assistant to the production company's CEO. "Is Jax in? I really need to talk with him."

"Elizabeth, of course Jax is in. He's ALWAYS in which means I'm ALWAYS in."

Elizabeth laughed as she lifted her leg to cross her feet at the ankles and lean back into the chair. "So, no Dante lately I take it."

"No, and it's rather frustrating." The younger woman complained.

"Well, I'm sorry I suggested you for the job then." Elizabeth countered as she looked out the windshield only to see Milo quickly following Eddie Maine and his crazy, eccentric relatives.

"OH NO! Elizabeth, I love this job. I thank you and God every day for giving me this opportunity. I just…well it seems like now that Dante and I have…" she clears her throat "it seems like that is when Jax wants to work more."

Giggling at the scenes outside as well as her friend who was like a little sister to her, she turned and walked back to the table where her laptop sat open.

"Honey, it just seems that way now because you want to spend twenty-four-seven with Dante. Jax has always pulled long hours and you've always been able to juggle that and dating. You are just…frustrated right now because you want to be in two places at once." Looking off she smiled "I remember those days."

"I still don't see why you and my brother didn't work out." Elizabeth could literally hear Lulu's pout. "You two were so perfect together."

"Lulu, people change. People grow apart. Once we both graduated from college, Lucky and I were…different."

"But you were high school sweethearts. You…"

Interrupting she tersely said "Is Jax in? I'm in a time crunch."

She didn't need to hear from yet another person who watched Elizabeth and Lucky grow up how perfect they were. She didn't need to hear how she broke his heart when she turned down his proposal. Her grandmother, her brother, his parents – everyone felt the need on a weekly basis to remind her how she'd ruined her life breaking up with Lucky.

Then, of course, there was Lucky Spencer himself. The guy was relentless. A glutton. And she couldn't escape him. Why he had to get a job at Jasper Productions six months after they graduated from Colorado University and she turned down his Graduation Dinner proposal in front of their whole family was beyond her.

Well _his_ whole family. As expected, her parents could not be bothered with something as trivial as their youngest child graduating from college. Her Grams and her brother were so proud of her. Even her older sister called from Johns Hopkins to tell her how excited she was to have a little sister who was going to work with famous people and be a big time producer. But good ole Jeff and Carolyn Webber were a no show. Ever since she was little they weren't around but, once she announced her major in Cinematography, they hadn't spoken to her since.

Oh, they paid the tuition. No child of theirs was going to be a college drop out. However, the fact that she didn't go into the family business of medicine was a black mark on the Webber and Hardy names and since the day she told them on a rare visit home from the African jungles, she was outcast as the black sheep.

It hurt her more than she would ever admit but Elizabeth had dreams and asking an old smelly man to turn his head and cough or making a little girl cry from a needle was not her idea of living the dream.

"Elizabeth, how's it going down in the Bayou?" Jasper Jacks accent brought her out of her thoughts and caused her to sit up straighter.

"Uh…I found the angle we needed." She puffed her chest out proudly. "It's not about Eddie Maine and his music and the New Orleans music scene. It's his whole life. His family. That's where the story is. With focus on him and his family, we still have the musical aspect since his wife and her best friend own L&B Records. But he's really Ned Ashton. Son of Tracy Quartermaine. He's part of one of the oldest and richest families in New Orleans. ELQ is a huge conglomerate and the story is how this family staying here and pumping life back into the city as well as its culture is reviving the most devastated city after Katrina."

"Eddie Maine is Ned Ashton?" Jax said in astonishment. "Ned Ashton, the Vice President of ELQ?"

"Yep" she retorted.

"How in the hell did Scotty miss that?" Jax was starting to sound angry.

Never one to hold her tongue, Elizabeth replied honestly, "Scott Baldwin is a has been Jax. He's like a hundred years old in this industry."

"Elizabeth, he's only about twenty years older than me." Her boss warned.

"I don't mean actual age. This guy is old as in Old School. He's The Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet and your company is…well…Deadliest Encounters. He doesn't look past what's on the page. Your idea was The Music Scene in New Orleans and that's all he focused on. Shoot, I could give you more. Actually…" she hit the send button with a tap of her finger "My proposal for this show should be hitting…your…in…box…now"

Jasper Jacks sat up and squinted at his computer monitor and smiled when the telltale jingle sounded and a new email popped up from .

The mention of what is considered the very first Reality TV show from the nineteen fifties and his most successful show about crab fishermen in the Bearing Sea was like comparing American football to synchronized swimming. They might both be considered sports but not one thing about them were similar. The humor wasn't lost on Jax that this illustration was a metaphor to comparing Scott Baldwin himself to his new up and coming "star" producer, Elizabeth Webber.

Hiring her was the best decision he'd made since moving into the booming market of reality television. Although he and Scotty were great friends and he valued and trusted Scotty's input, it was time to bring the older producer in to work in the corporate offices with him. He just didn't have what it took anymore to create quality TV. It was time to force him into the business side of his company. Kind of like putting your racehorse out to pasture. He can no longer race but he's not necessarily glue yet.

"Okay, I'll look over this and get back to you. If I like it, which I'm sure I will…"

"You always do." She said self assuredly with a shake of her head.

She was still held by his leash. Her boss always liked her ideas but never gave her free reign to simply put her ideas into effect without him running her through her paces first. She didn't mind. She knew she was still so young. At twenty-five she knew she had a lot to prove. Yet each and every time, he liked her ideas, half the time put someone else in charge of the changes and patted her on the back for a job well done.

But she was ready to take on seeing something like this from start to finish. She wanted her own project. Not someone else's failing project. She was ready to spread her wings. But getting Jasper Jacks to let her fly was still an unrealized dream.

"I know you're ready Elizabeth." Jax sounded aggravated by her disruption.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jacks. I can't believe I said that out loud. I didn't mean any disrespect." Elizabeth sputtered. She had never been so callous with her boss. "I…"

"Elizabeth" Jax's tone hushed her. "I know you are frustrated. You are ready for a project of your own. I keep asking you to sweep up after others and you're right. I just…You're so young Elizabeth. If you fail, they'll eat you alive."

"I know"

"Listen, I've…I've been kicking something around with Diane, Alexis and Patrick. Stay there, keep working and…I'll look over this and get back with you today."

"Yes sir, Mr. Jacks. Don't worry about Milo and me. We've got this. And again, I'm sorry for what I said."

"Elizabeth, never apologize for your ability or your drive. You know those are your best qualities. You're talented and it shows in everything you do. Just…let me catch up with you. I might know what I'm doing too."

Elizabeth smiled at that. Jasper Jacks was the best boss. She knew he was grooming her to become a name that everyone revered. She was just impatient.

"And how many times have I told you to call me Jax. When you call me Mr. Jacks I feel like…like…I'm a hundred years old." He laughed and she laughed with him. "Now, why don't you send me about thirty-eight minutes with Mac's narration. Show me the transition show we're about to make since I _always_ like what you do."

"You want me to go ahead and edit and shoot?"

"Yep, put it in the can Elizabeth. By the time you're done, I'll have something else for you."

"Yes SIR. Thank you sir! You won't be sorry. I'll make you proud. This show is going to be a hit by Christmas. You'll have everyone in the country on their couch every Thursday night watching just like you have everyone doing so on Tuesdays."

"That's what I like to hear. I'll talk to you soon."

Elizabeth hung up the phone just as Milo came in red faced and a little disheveled.

"MILO!" Elizabeth shouted as she leapt at her friend and longtime cameraman.

Milo Giambeti caught her easily in his arms and spun her around. He didn't know why she was so excited but when Elizabeth Webber was happy like this, the whole world around her couldn't help but smile and Milo was no exception. She was the little sister he and his brother Max never had. In the four years he'd worked with her at Jasper Productions, she had always been his favorite. And because they worked so well together, Jax let him work solely with her for the past two and a half years.

It helped that his brother Max was shtupping Jax's favorite executive.

Diane Miller was Jax's right arm and Alexis Davis was his left. Both were hot shot attorneys who kept Jasper Jacks in the green and out of jail and litigation. And Milo's big brother, Max, was head of security. Diane and Max had been dating for nearly five years now so Milo got his job, then pretty much got his dream producer the old fashioned way. Nepotism.

He could not be happier.

"So why are we so happy Lizzie?" Milo asked as he set her down and held onto her arms in case she was dizzy.

Elizabeth punched him in the arm and he feigned injury. "Stop calling me Lizzie you jackass."

"Oh, _excuse me_ Miss Webber." He dramatized with a formal bow.

"Cut it out doofus. You know I hate it when you call me Lizzie."

"Well usually when you are jumping in my arms like that or acting all crazy you ARE Lizzie"

She brushed past him to get him a Gatorade from the refrigerator. "Good grief. I'll never live that down."

"Well…no…I mean, we've got video of it and everything."

"It's not every day you get into a barroom brawl with your cameraman, his brother and a whole bar full of bikers."

"And win" Milo smiled remembering her standing there with him and Max realizing that they'd either knocked everyone out or they ran. They'd all three gotten into a bar fight with about eight bikers because one pinched her ass and she landed a right hook to his jaw.

"And win…" she smiled as she removed the cap and handed her cameraman a midday drink. "And speaking of a win. We just got our first full show. It's all ours. We get to film and produce a whole episode for _Born on the Bayou _. Milo…we've made it!"

Jason stared at the contract. Ever since his younger siblings, AJ and Emily, lost their father, he knew it would come down to this. He remembered sitting in the hospital waiting room. Emily was asleep on the uncomfortable couch beside him as he ran his fingers soothingly through her long auburn hair. She used his leg as a makeshift pillow and his signature black leather jacket as a blanket. AJ kept talking about the _Susan Moore_. Who was going to run the _Susan Moore_? It was his Dad's legacy. The family boat. And AJ wasn't ready to run it.

Two weeks earlier while Jason was hauling his own Opilio crab into Dutch Harbor, his step-brother called his ship, _The Enforcer_, to tell him that his stepfather had a massive heart attack. He knew the old man wasn't doing well but he had been estranged from him so long that he didn't realize how little time he and Alan had left to make things right.

Jason was eighteen when his mother, Susan Moore, divorced his step-father. At that point, Jason and Alan were nearly inseparable. He was working as a deck hand on the _Susan Moore _and was already learning the engine room. He idolized Alan and everyone in the fleet just knew that Jason would follow Alan's footsteps.

When his mother died, Alan and Susan had been divorced for quite some time. In fact, Alan had remarried and divorced AJ and Emily's mother, Monica, AGAIN. It was one of the reasons why he and Alan didn't get along.

The old man was a wonderful man and Jason had a great respect for him. Especially as a top notch fisherman. However, he had no respect for how he ping-ponged back and forth between his mother and AJ and Emily's mother for years. Married to Monica twice and Susan in between, finally both women had their fill of the womanizer so that when he died, he was alone.

Although Jason knew he wasn't lonely.

This new reality show had made Alan famous and again he had women dripping off of him like the stories he told Jason in the wheelhouse about before he met his mother. The show became a massive success over the last three years. Four years ago everyone in the small fishing community thought the show would be a bust. His boss and close friend, Sonny Corinthos, thought it was ridiculous and would only result in even more loss of lives to the Bering Sea.

The Corinthos Organization was the first fleet to be approached. With Sonny, Johnny O'Brien, and Jason Morgan as three of the six Captains, Patrick Drake realized the female viewers would flock to the show in droves while the premise of the show would still have a much larger male population tuning in on a weekly basis. Patrick pulled out all the stops. He offered to refurbish living quarters and wheelhouses of Sonny's boats and repaint them just to sign on the dotted line.

Sonny wanted no part of it. Jason was glad because as far as he was concerned, two more people on his boat was two more people he'd have to deal with. And Jason liked his solitude. He finally found a crew that understood that.

Since his own divorce, he'd focused on fishing. He made it to Captain his own boat by the age of twenty seven and now, six years later, he was one of the most successful and well respected in the industry. He was untouchable.

He was well liked by other captains and crews. He kept his head down, had a good work ethic and had a nose for crab. He was always there to help, whether it was bait, training a crew member, giving a line on hot areas, loaning a crew member money or giving someone a ride in his Cessna Citation Encore Jet. Everyone got along with Jason but also knew that Jason, for the most part, preferred his solitude.

Only a handful actually knew where he lived. Most around Dutch Harbor just knew that when he was in port for more than a day or two, he took off on his jet for his home somewhere in the mountains of the Northwest. He almost never took anyone with him and only hung out at one bar when in town, Jakes.

He kept a room above Jake's year round so that when too many of the fishermen were in the bar, especially his most hated rival, he could simply go upstairs to crash. He hated sleeping on the boat like the other captains and their crew. When the boat was docked, he wanted a real bed, even if only for one night. Besides, sometimes he'd come down once the bar closed and invite the waitress, Courtney, for a romp in his bed.

She wanted more, and God knew that if Sonny knew what he was doing to his little sister, he'd have to marry her for sure but he didn't want anything to do with a relationship. He'd learned his lesson. No more relationships. They weren't fair to the woman and he sure as hell wasn't going to have his heart stomped into a million pieces again because they couldn't handle the loneliness and danger of his career.

Which was why he wasn't thrilled to be signing this contract.

But he had to.

He owed it to his brother.

AJ was four years younger than him and Emily was eight. They didn't share blood but he couldn't love them anymore if they did. Their mom was a doctor so she had nearly as unconventional of hours as his step-dad Alan did. So when Alan was in for the off season, AJ and Emily would come live with them.

He loved having a little brother and little sister. He took that position of Big Brother seriously. He taught AJ everything he felt he needed to know that Alan had missed through the years on the boat. Then when Jason went to join Alan, he kept in constant contact with his brother and sister. He even threatened a boyfriend of Emily's over the phone while he was eight hundred miles away from the kid.

And now, he needed to step up and be their big brother. Especially for AJ who was totally lost now that his father was gone. He needed to take care of the family business. He needed to take the time away from _The Enforcer_ to train AJ to one day take over _The Susan Moore._

He was leaving the Corinthos Organization temporarily.

It would be two years. He'd show him everything Alan taught him and then the things he picked up on his own. He'd eat, sleep and live _The_ _Susan Moore_. He'd take extra off season jobs to get AJ his sea time. He'd put _The Enforcer_ in dry dock for re-skinning and an overhaul.

Sonny only owned half the boat since Jason bought in to the organization. Sonny made Jason a partner two years ago giving him a third ownership share of the fleet. Jason immediately bought his boat. It was fifteen years old and the largest of the Corinthos fleet. Sonny hoped to turn the running of the fleet over to Jason within the next decade. Retirement was looming and _The Don_, Sonny's boat, was an old one and probably close to retiring from the fleet as well. _The Michael & Morgan, The Adela_ and _The Lily Rivera_ were the newer boats.

_Lansing's Lot_ was the smallest of the fleet. Sonny found out his beloved mother had a son and took Ric Lansing in a few years back. Jason hated the man. He felt entitled to things he hadn't earned. Jason was "in the way" to what he felt was rightfully his. Never mind that the man could never keep a crew, always poached others crew members. Would do everything in his power to piss off everyone from the bar maids at the local pub because of his smarmy ways to the Port Captain of Dutch Harbor.

He wasn't qualified to operate most of the Corinthos' fleet and had wrecked his boat, run it aground and nearly capsized it umpteen times.

But he was Adela's beloved youngest child so Sonny was blind to his evil ways.

But Jason wasn't.

If there was a highlight to his leaving the Corinthos Organization for this short period of time, it was that he would be away from Ric and there would be enough time for Sonny to see, on his own, just how incapable his little brother was. AND he wouldn't have to "accidentally" run into that whore on the piers anymore. _The Susan Moore_ was docked two miles down the pier from any of The Corinthos' fleet so there was a silver lining after all.

Besides, in the past two weeks, knowing that his step-father was gone for good, he knew he owed it to the man who brought him to the sea.

He owed Alan this debt.

As he signed his name to the six page contract, he smiled at the thought of repaying Alan.

"Well Jason, she's all yours." AJ clapped him on the back beaming in the wheelhouse behind his brother.

Jason turned and smiled at his little brother.

"So what are you feeling now? Tell us how you feel now that you've taken over for Captain Alan? Describe the feeling of being back on the boat you learned on? Tell us how you're going to run your ship? Are you bringing over any of your crew? Are you excited? Nervous? Melancholy?"

Jason sat down in the chair and looked at the equipment, re-familiarizing himself with his surroundings. He saw the pictures on the wall by the gears. Emily graduating University of Oregon, Pre-med. AJ at two years old holding a Blue King Crab. The monster crab nearly the size of the little boy. Alan and his mother somewhere. Both smiling. A family Christmas picture of Alan, Monica and a newborn Alan, Jr. Then a retaped picture of Alan standing behind Jason who was at the helm. In the very spot he was in now.

He glanced up to see the the statue of the naked lady. Exactly like the one he had on the dash of his boat. The one Alan bought him when he was twelve and he got his first trolling boat for the big pond behind their house. His mother had been livid but Alan explained that the naked lady brought calm seas and that every boatsman should have one either on the bow of their boat or at the helm.

Jason drifted off in thought as the cameraman continued hounding him with questions. He couldn't believe he was back on _The Susan Moore_. He couldn't believe he was right where he started. Where he learned so much. Where he lost so much.

His eyes darkened when he remembered so many years ago when he got the phone call from his mother. She had been dying with cancer and Alan had known for almost a full year and told her not to tell Jason. That it would be dangerous. That he wouldn't have his head in the game. Then when his mother asked him to skip the next season to spend her final days with him and he agreed.

Only to be four days too late.

His mood changed and he could taste the sour bile in his mouth.

"Jason, Jason, JASON!" the cameraman snapped his fingers in front of Jason's face. "Tell us how it feels to be in Captain Alan's chair."

Jason growled and roughly jumped up from the chair. He looked around noticing all the extra filming equipment he'd have to work around. Ran his hand through his spiky blond hair and headed for the stairs that led to his stateroom.

"Leave me the FUCK alone. You ask too many questions. If it's going to be like this, you can get the hell off my boat NOW!"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, they offered to pay the minimum we would have earned for your boat for the full two years. Lowest margin of profit, no expense or salary since there is none."

"Still, with what I earn here, I'm going to do more to the boat. I want the living quarters upgraded. If they're going to cover our profit margin…Hell we can get that new engine you need on _The Don_."

"I was thinking the same thing. Besides, they agreed not to come on my boat. Johnny's super excited. He's thinking about a whole new type of Honey Wells he'll tap into."

Jason laughed at that. Johnny O'Brien was and always would be a player. He worked for Sonny longer than Jason and when Jason joined Sonny's boat Johnny was ready for his own boat. They worked one season under Captain C as they liked to call him back then and then Sonny put him at the helm of _The Adela_. The one season, Johnny taught him everything about _The Don_ and working and dealing with the often moody Sonny Corinthos. In the end, they were the best of friends.

Jason and Sonny formed a different kind of bond. The rift with Alan left a huge hole for Jason. Sonny easily stepped into that role of pseudo father. Quickly Sonny realized that Jason was more than just a sea faring man. He was incredibly smart. He had a keen business sense and Sonny found himself relying more and more on the younger man for decisions he made for his business. Even after Jason left Sonny's boat for his own in the fleet, Jason was a fixture around his dinner table in the off season.

A lot of it was because truly Jason's real best friend was Sonny's wife, Caroline Corinthos. Carly and Jason knew each other from grade school. They were the same age and when Jason moved north to join his step-father's boat, Carly followed him and worked at Jakes.

At first it was sexual for the two. Sonny didn't know the kids but Alan had told him that they were old school friends but never dated until moving up to Dutch Harbor. Sonny watched from the peripheral as the two sort of fell into each other. Fulfilling a need. But when Carly met Doctor Tony Jones from the trauma center in the small port town, Jason had no problems moving back into the role of best friend. He knew there wasn't a true love between him and Carly and she agreed. It was simply a primal need for both of them and Jason could find that anywhere.

Sonny was married to his wife Lily at the time. Back then you would have never convinced him that one day, Carly Roberts would wind up being the love of his life and the mother of his two sons. Sadly, his wife and their unborn baby died in a tragic car accident. He mourned for a long time but when he and Carly had a drunken argument at Jakes one night that turned into a passionate sexual encounter, he finally let the past go. Now he had a wife, a six year old son he adopted named Michael and a two year old son, named after their best friend.

"So which boats?" Jason asked, lighting a cigarette and dragging a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Johnny's, Taggart's and Ric's" Sonny's voice quieted at the end, barely audible over the ships radio.

"What was that last one Jason?" the cameraman, Dillon Hornsby, asked.

Suddenly reminded that a fucking camera and a scrawny little shit assed kid was listening the whole time, Jason growled and shot a deathly glare at the younger man.

"Ric" AJ said, darting his eyes to Jason's quickly as he took the final step up from the galley, a plate of eggs, sausage and grits in his hand for his brother.

Dillon let out the breath he'd been holding when AJ came into the wheel house. AJ was great. He was always willing to talk. He was open and shared his deepest thoughts with Dillon. Dillon had gotten a lot of good footage this trip. AJ was an open book about his father and the effect his death was having on him.

Jason, on the other hand, was scary, brooding and like trying to get a mute to talk. It didn't happen. The first cameraman on the boat got kicked off the second day. Jason was threatening to beat the shit out of him if he didn't stop with the twenty questions and then finally Jason snapped and grabbed Lucky by his fleece lined jacket and hauled him off of his boat by the scruff of his neck. Zander didn't even make it that long. They were loaded with food, crew and bait and docked at the fueling station when Zander mentioned how hot Emily was. He left with a black eye, a broken camera and a promise for worse if he even mentioned Emily again.

AJ didn't really fault Jason for that one. He wasn't too happy with the asshole himself. Who says "I'd like to tap THAT hot piece of ass" in front of two older brothers while pointing at a picture of their little sister? Zander Smith is just lucky he's still breathing.

Quickly, at the last minute, Patrick Drake tossed his youngest cameraman onto the boat and told him to stay out of Captain Hook's way. Literally the twenty one year old cameraman jumped on board with a camera and the clothes on his back. He was lucky the trip only lasted four days. The Captain found fertile ground and filled his tanks quickly. By day four, Captain Hook brushed past him coming up from the galley with a plate of food, arrggged like the pirate he was and told the boy, "Get out of my wheelhouse. I'm trying to eat and you fucking stink!"

Within the first three days Jasper Productions was dealing with Jason Morgan while the Captain was readying the boat to leave, he quickly became known as Captain Hook. He snarled, he barked, he yelled and he threatened. He didn't care who you were. He made it perfectly clear to everyone in production that he was to be left alone as much as possible. He refused to read the written scripts for promos, tearing them in half as soon as they were handed to him. He told them how asinine their show was and even more stupid they were risking their lives for it. He went into rages when something went wrong, throwing punches and objects, not caring if someone got hit. He was quickly becoming known for his new nickname because they were all sure he would also kick puppies and threaten children.

Dillon had survived the first trip so with the offer of extra "hazard" pay for remaining in such close quarters with "Captain Hook", he chose to keep his assignment.

Besides, he found out after leaving the camera running when he went to the bathroom one time that Captain Jason Morgan sometimes talked out loud to himself when he was alone.

Since that discovery, he regularly left the camera running when he'd excuse himself for a bathroom break or chow was called. Many times, he'd purposely take his leave after something particularly interesting happened and he could tell the stone cold seaman wanted to react but wouldn't in his presence. His best footage of the man would come from those instances.

Or when he was interacting with his brother, AJ.

You could tell there was a genuine love between brothers. Jason would practically forget the cameras were rolling when his brother was in his presence. He would talk to his brother about anything and everything. He was patient with AJ and methodical. He would repeat lessons to prepare his brother. Immediately, he started training him on the radar. Showing him how to plot his course and read the depth meter. When AJ would get something wrong, he'd simply scrub his hand over his face and start over again. But when AJ was right, he'd praise him repeatedly and beam at his brother's accomplishment.

"Jason, my guys are about to start pulling pots so I'll talk to you later." Sonny finally said over the radio. Jason hadn't responded to his list of boats with camera crews and he knew why. I'll fax you the contract so you can see what's going on.

Jason grabbed the hand held mouthpiece and responded, "Alright. I'll talk to you later. Take care."

"You too man and hey, tell your sister I said happy birthday. Over." Sonny signed off and Jason picked back up his plate of food he was wolfing down.

"Your sister's birthday is today?" Dillon asked from behind the camera.

Jason kept eating while his brother nudged him from his chair and took the helm. Jason stood behind his brother watching his actions while scraping his food from the plate into his mouth. AJ smiled, easing into his fathers chair and looked into the camera. "Yeah, she's twenty-five today. She's an intern at Portland General Hospital where our mother is Chief of Staff. She wants to come up here but Jason won't let her."

Captain Hook grunted at that comment.

"He doesn't want her in this tiny town where there's only fishermen or former fishermen to choose from." AJ bounced one foot on his other knee. "He's right though. She deserves better. She's the best. She should meet and marry a lawyer or a Senator or a Prince."

The camera focused on Jason who winced at the word "marry" but also nodded his head in agreement of his brother's assessment of their little sister.

"How often do you guys get to see her?" Dillon cleared his throat remembering that they had recently spent a lot of time together between Captain Alan being in the hospital and the funeral. "Uh…I mean normally."

"Well, I still live at home in the off season. So I'm in Portland about four months out of the year. She still lives at home too. Mom's got a pretty big house so it's not like we are on top of each other all the time. Besides, she's cool to hang out with. Dad made sure of that. She's the perfect blend of beauty queen and tomboy."

Again, the camera focused on Jason nodding his head in agreement and then turned and focused on the beautiful brunette with long wavy hair. Huge blue eyes and the face of an angel. She reminded Dillon a little of Brook Shields in The Blue Lagoon.

Dillon didn't dare vocalize that he thought she was beautiful enough to be a model or a movie star though. He was sure Captain Hook would make him walk the plank. They were nowhere near land and the water would kill you from hypothermia within three minutes.

"What about you Jason? How often do you get back to Portland?" Dillon asked hoping it would be one of those rare occasions that Jason would open up. He noticed it happened more often when his brother was also talking.

"Oh Jason doesn't live in Portland. Jason lives in…"

"Why don't you pull my pots." Jason interrupted, setting his plate and fork down with a loud clang. "Let's get you used to how you need to steer the boat so the hook man doesn't kill himself with constant hail mary's."

AJ knew Jason had purposely cut him off. He was a private person. AJ knew where he lived but he'd bet half the guys on his own boat that had worked with him for years didn't know.

"Cool. What am I looking at?" AJ focused on the one monitor that showed the different strings they had set. Then he looked at the radar and the depth chart while Jason guided him.

Thirty minutes later, Jason was standing behind AJ while the men on deck were waiting till they came up on their first string. Jason was explaining to him how fast he should be going and that the first five pots pulled would determine whether they would reset in the same spot. AJ's "aha" brought a smile to Jason's face. The realization that THAT was why his father always told them not to tie the pots down until the first row was stacked. It was because if they reset, they would simply have to untie them again.

Two hours after that and the crew was exhausted. Jason had gone downstairs to the galley an hour ago and now the smell of something wonderful was wafting through the wheelhouse.

Dillon and his partner cameraman watched and filmed in awe as Jason went out and started throwing hook for his tired crew. Once AJ was doing well at the helm and understood exactly how he had to mark down the pots and the counts, Jason went to start dinner then donned his gear and went out on the deck. He moved around the deck with ease taking up the slack wherever he was needed.

He was just as patient with the crew out there, except for one man.

"Finally, I don't know why my father ever kept that asshole." AJ mentioned when he heard from the deck mic's Jason giving Ray Conway a dressing down. "Ray is one of the guys Dad worked with when he was just starting as a deckhand on other boats. My dad knew no one else would hire the man and gave him extra chances. The problem is the guy is worthless. He's lazy and constantly complains. He's too old to be out on the deck. Dad gave him too many chances. If the guy doesn't helm his own boat by this point, he might as well go into another line of work."

They both quieted when they heard Jason, "Look man, I know you've done this your whole life but Alan kept you around out of loyalty. Friendship has no place in choosing a crew. I'll give you your full share but you aren't pulling your weight. Its time you retire. I'm letting you know right now that I'm not bringing you back but for the next three weeks, I want to see you busting your ass. If I catch you in the gear room or the sauna one more time while the crew is locked and loaded, I'll drop you and your shit off at the next port. I don't have the time or the patience for Alan's old cronies. I have crabs to catch."

With that, they watched as Jason left from under the cover of the wheelhouse overhang and went to start sorting crab with the other three men.

"Your brother is tough as nails. Was your Dad like that?" Dillon asked moving the camera over to AJ's profile.

"Yes. Well…those two are so different but then again they are so alike it's uncanny." AJ responded. "But you guys aren't seeing the real Jason. My brother…"

AJ looked into the camera and his eyes softened. "My brother is one of my best friends."

"You look up to him, huh?" Dillon provided.

"Man, I idolize him. When I was growing up, my father was never around. But Jason was. Even when we'd be at Mom's, Jason would come get me and take me fishing or skating or whatever. I cannot tell you how many dates me and my sister went on with him. If there were girls in his life, they had to have our approval or they didn't make the cut. He was and still is always so patient with us. Which may seem unusual for my brother, but not where it comes to people he cares about. That's why so many people in this industry love and respect him. Just like you heard, he's…he's just the greatest."

Jason stopped at the bottom step as he heard his brother singing his praises. He listened for a few minutes and shook his head disapprovingly. His brother didn't want the world thinking he was really nothing but a hard ass. His little brother shouldn't bother.

"So really, in order to get some background on the new captain and have the Susan Moore kept in the show, we had to give a lot." Alexis explained as she sipped her dirty martini.

"But profit for the whole two years?" Jasper Jacks started tugging at his tie. The numbers swimming in his head.

"Jax, the low end of the profit for Jason Morgan's boat for the past five years has been six hundred fifty thousand dollars. I think one point three million dollars was pretty cheap to get Jason Morgan to leave his own operation and run _The Susan Moore _for two years." Alexis smacked at her friends hand when he went to poke his fork in her crawfish etouffee. "And they were kind enough to let us on three of their ships to get a feel from others who this new captain is."

"Besides, it's what I needed for the season ender. We have to have the viewers know who this new guy is and accept him before next season starts. Captain Alan is a huge loss." Patrick added in as he leaned back, stuffed from his meal or red beans and rice.

"Well Jason Morgan is fabulous to look at so we'll definitely gain more female viewership." Diane purred as she picked up the dossier on the new Jasper Productions personality.

"And an asshole to work with." Patrick reminded the legal eagle.

"Yeah well, that's not my problem. I had him sign an airtight contract and then did the same with his partner in Corinthos Organization. It's your problem to deal with the personality traits of your new captain." Diane finished as she ran her finger down the picture of Jason Morgan they took to add into the opening credits.

His face was solid stone, he looked ready to kill the photographer. He's standing at the bow of _The Susan Moore_ with his brother standing just behind him off to the right. The other men of the crew, Ray, Cooper Barrett, Logan Hayes and Roy Diluca were scattered behind them less in focus. Jason being in the foreground of the picture is shown close up from knees to spiked blond hair. His massive chest in his black t-shirt and his arms crossed over his chest showed the man worked out. He took care of himself. He had the body of an Adonis that tapered down to a trim waist and strong thighs. His blue jeans were well worn and his face was clean shaven. He was the epitome of danger. But his eyes, his brilliant light blue eyes held a softness in them.

Diane licked her lips and Jax choked on his glass of water at the expression in her eyes. Patrick and Alexis both laughed at Diane. Always the cougar!

"He's part of the fleet we tried to get in the beginning. It's funny how this has all come full circle in our favor." Patrick said threading his fingers behind his head while he tipped back in his chair.

Everyone's eyes snapped at him in shock.

Patrick sat up, scratching his forehead and looked sheepishly at the rest of the people around the table. "I mean…it's horrible that Captain Alan died. I don't mean to gloat on his death. I just mean, when this first idea came about, we wanted the Corinthos Organization's fleet because of the above average number of handsome men on the boats. But, of course, they turned us down flat. Now here we are, five years later and we have one of the captains for the next two years and three of their boats to feature…"

"Well, we'll see if he lightens up and we get some good stuff from this Morgan guy." Jax interrupted.

"Yes, what's the deal with the crew up there all mumbling about Captain Hook?" Alexis asked as she slid the file from under Diane's perfectly manicured fingernails and opened the file jacket to admire the man herself. "I hope we don't have legal issues with our own employees from having to work with this man."

"Yes, I heard one of your cameramen was physically assaulted by him." Jax continued.

"Well, I'd have punched him too if he'd said that about my sister."

"What did Zander say?" Alexis asked pushing her plate over to Jax because she was full and decided to let him finish for her.

"Oh, the idiot…He's a great cameraman but stupid as they come when it comes to putting your foot…" Patrick trailed off as a beautiful brunette with long soft curls half way down her back and a petite frame being hugged in a tank top and some jeans came into his view.

Diane followed his eyes and pushed him to the point that Patrick nearly fell back in his tipped chair. "Don't drool. It's so uncouth"

Jax looked up then and smiled, "Elizabeth, come here for a minute please."

The brunette turned and smiled at her boss. She set the paperwork she had in her hand down on the bar and shoved the pen behind her ear. Tucking her phone in her pants pocket, Patrick wished he were her phone for a moment before he straightened up and gave her front as much of a once over as he did her behind.

Rolling her eyes at the company's most profitable producer, Diane smiled up at Elizabeth who was now standing at the table behind an empty chair. "Elizabeth, please have a seat."

"Sure." She looked over at Jax wolfing down Alexis' left over food. "The food here is delicious isn't it?"

"Oh yes" they all agreed or nodded.

"So, what's this new project you guys are here for?" She asked, never one to beat around the bush. Preferring to dive right in.

"Well first, I want to say I've seen the show here and it's fabulous. You've really turned it around. That family is a hoot. You really picked the right angle." Patrick complimented her. He admired her in more ways than just her looks. He'd love to strip her naked and have her for a feast but he also loved the few times they sat and really talked about their visions and ideas. She was fantastic. So imaginative and intuitive.

"Thank you." Elizabeth tucked a curl behind her ear and blushed a light pink across her cheeks. "Coming from you…I…well it's just…Thank you"

Jax, deciding to take control of the meeting put his fork down and shoved his plate to the side. "Listen Elizabeth, we have this idea of another show we want to do that's kind of like a sequel or bonus feature of Deadliest Encounter. I want you to work with Patrick tossing ideas back and forth."

"Oh…okay" Elizabeth looked back to the stage where Eddie Maine plays. The main feature to the show she was currently working on. Once again, she fixed it and Jax was going to hand it off to someone else.

"You don't seem very happy about that dear." Diane cut in, concern on her face for the dejected look of her friend.

"No, I'm thrilled to be working with Patrick Drake." She perked up but then let out a sigh. "I was just hoping to kind of stick this one out before moving on."

"Well, let me give you my idea and then we can hammer out all the particulars. Maybe we could work around schedules and you could stay on this project too." Patrick said.

He would do anything to make her smile at him and right now, her smile was so bright. Her midnight blue eyes were twinkling and the gloss on her lips sparkled with her ear to ear grin. Even though they worked together and he knew she was "off limits" according to his boss, he couldn't help himself when it came to flirting with her or doing anything to make her look at him the way she was right now.

He sucked in a deep breath and absently scratched at his chest. The girl made him crazy.

"I like the sound of that." Elizabeth answered and then looked to Jax for his agreement.

"We'll see." Was his only response but it wasn't a "NO" so Elizabeth held onto the hope she'd be able to keep working on _Born on the Bayou_ while helping out with this other project.

"So Elizabeth" Just the way Patrick said her name made chills run up each of the three women's back and made the hairs on the back of Jax's neck stand up. It dripped with desire and seduction.

"Your idea please Patrick?" Jax warned.

"Yes, right, my idea. Um…well I'm sure you've heard that we experienced a traumatic event on Deadliest Encounters this season while filming."

"Well if you mean that one guy passed away, then yes but I haven't really kept up with the show." She looked up startled at her own admission "I mean not that it isn't great. I know it is. Anything you do is fabulous. A moneymaker. But fishing for crabs just isn't exactly what I like to watch on TV. I'm more of a…"

Patrick let her off the hook, "I understand. No worries. I don't expect everyone to watch my show. But…I guess, I was hoping you'd already have a little background on the show. But we can work around that."

She nodded her head and let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Now, back to my new idea." Patrick took a quick sip of his drink then handed his empty iced tea glass to the waitress. "I was thinking this year we would pull the captains out of their settings and get them into a more casual situation. Talk to them about the show and their jobs and the people. Maybe reminisce about past shows, incidents and crew."

"And capitalize on the fact that one of the most popular captains on the show passed away." Elizabeth took his idea and started thinking.

"Exactly!" Patrick added, a smile blooming on his face.

Elizabeth stood up and started pacing. She pulled the pen from her hair, crossed her arms over her chest and started tapping it on her chin as she bit her bottom lip. Patrickhad to discreetly adjust himself as he watched her torturing the berry glossed flesh in deep concentration.

"It could be a meeting of the minds. NO, a meeting of the leaders." She turned on her four inch heels and paced back toward the table.

All eyes were on her and everyone was silent as they watched the wheels in her head turn.

"Kings of the Crab" she blurted and then winced, "No, that's horrible"

"I like the idea. They are the kings of the show." Jax added, encouraging her.

"We have all of the captains. They are the mainstay. They are always on the show and then we bring in others. Crew, behind the scenes people, special guests." Patrick added, part of his original idea.

Suddenly Elizabeth stopped in her tracks. She stared at the table they were all sitting around. Diane started to speak and Elizabeth held up a hand to quiet her. She continued to stare. Suddenly she was moving again and Alexis and Jax sat back and smiled. They'd seen this before. They were witnessing a great mind at work and she was so close to the idea that would make Patrick's idea turn into money coming in hand over fist for the company

"Knights of the Round Table" She said softly to herself.

"What was that?" Patrick asked.

She looked up at him. Smiled and held both hands out to gesture to the round table they were all currently sitting at. "Knights of the Round Table. We could name the show that if you wanted. Or not…but the show would be an hour of the captains at a round table. Mac hosting like he does Deadliest Encounters. They are already familiar with him and it would help the viewers identify this show as one they want to watch also. But not formal. They would all be just like this, in a bar restaurant, sitting around and sharing stories."

"Go on" Jax beamed. He couldn't be more proud if Elizabeth was his own daughter.

"And we start the show out every time with the one empty chair at the table, the room is darkened with only the spotlight on the empty chair. In reverence to Captain Alan, of course."


	3. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Thank you for all of your encouragement. I've enjoyed writing this. I claim no rights to anything. I use characters and scenarios from two different shows and credit Discovery and ABC for their creativeness. I'm just goofin off and making something out of it. PS: The last 5 pages of this chapter were a real BITCH to write.

**Chapter 2**

"You know what man, FUCK YOU!"

Ric Lansing had enough of Jason Morgan. The guy was a pain in his ass. What really aggravated him the most was that he didn't understand why others didn't see it. Especially his brother. The man was a jerk to everyone. Treated people like shit. Called people on the carpet for simply doing their job and acted as if he was above it all. And to top it all off, he was in line to take over his brothers company. A company that rightfully should have been Ric's.

"Ric, I'm sick of your bullshit. You set down on my last string pot for pot for pot."

"You profit from both so what do you care that I fished in your area" Ric said smugly as he sipped his Crown and coke.

Johnny walked up behind Ric and rolled his eyes at Jason as he tipped his beer back, emptying it's contents and setting it in the well of the bar.

Jason lifted his eyes to Johnny and then focused back on Ric. "See, right there. That's why you shouldn't be doing this. Honestly Ric, you were probably better suited as a lawyer."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Ric demanded.

"Exactly what I said. As an attorney, you'd probably have been useful to The Corinthos Organization. But as a fisherman, you suck. The fact that you don't see that for every pot you set on top of mine, we could have lost two pots and their gear. That's at least five thousand dollars. AT LEAST!" Jason stood and picked up his beer. He was done with Ric and his crap. It was time to get away from him before he broke his nose, again. Jason didn't need the lecture from Sonny about not hurting his little brother. But he had a final parting shot to make first, it's words dripping with double meaning. "A fisherman knows not to do that. Only a weasel does what you did. Only a man who can't get something on his own goes after something that belongs to another."

He set his beer down, threw a twenty on the bar and leaned in real close, almost nose to nose with the dark haired man. "That's what you are, a weasel you sad fuck."

He leaned back and headed towards the door. Laughing when he heard the cameraman asking Ric what Jason really meant by his statements. Ric said "nothing" but Johnny immediately interjected. "Exactly what Jason said, this sad little piece of shit is nothing but a back stabbing weasel."

Jason walked out to his truck, turning around to see Dillon following him. He had to hand it to the kid. He had stuck it out for the full three weeks to finish up the season. He didn't think the guy would make it. A couple of times when the seas were really rough, he didn't think the guy would last another second. However, the kid surprised him.

And the kid knew to let Jason talk when he wanted to. Very quickly on he stopped asking so many questions. That made Jason trust him a little more.

"Come on kid, I'll buy you dinner at The No Name. I feel like some chicken parmesan and theirs is the best." Jason said as he hit the button to unlock the doors to his Ford F350.

He really itched to ride his Harley but not up here in this weather. It would stay tucked into the hangar next to his plane. Normally he would have already left for home but he had to do the finishing production crap for the show. Then he had to fly down to New Orleans for some new show they were doing.

He really wished he would have asked about the statement in the contract that stated they could use him or his likeness in any Jasper Productions show with simply written notification to him.

He just figured that meant so they could do promo's for the show. He now knew, after a lengthy argument with Diane Miller, that it also meant that if they wanted him to appear on other shows or wanted to sell memorabilia with his picture on it or even if they wanted him to do personal appearances, he had to as long as they gave him written notice.

Flashback

"Look lady. I agreed that you could film me on this boat. That's it."

"No Mr. Morgan. As I've said for the umpteenth time, and I quote…with reasonable notification in writing, the production company can use me or my likeness in other endeavors of said company." Diane smirked at the handsome man standing in front of her.

Standing on the dock, face to face with a very unkempt looking Jason Morgan, she still had to admit that he exuded sex and power and danger. She, on the other hand, stood out like a sore thumb in front of the production crew and the fishermen and dock workers. Everyone was in heavy boots, coats, jeans, thick gloves and hats of some kind that would keep their heads and ears warm. She had on a Prada business suit. Skirt just to the knees in a deep rich burnt amber with a grey blouse, her favorite Christian Louboutin studded clutch and matching peep toe shoes. Then topped it off with her Stella McCartney grey and black mini checkered wool wrap coat. Covering her ears were half carat stud earrings that Max had given her for Valentines Day this year.

But she wasn't going to let anyone know that she was pretty sure her knees were completely frozen solid or that if someone stepped on her toes, they would crack off like chipped ice. They'd been arguing for the past half an hour and she was pretty sure hypothermia was starting to set in. She felt like needles were poking her eyes every time she blinked because her tear ducts were frozen solid.

"But I don't _want_ to do it. I should get to have _some_ say…"

"Mr. Morgan, while I can certainly appreciate your desires to head home for the off season, think of this as a warm weather vacation, if you will. New Orleans is beautiful at this time of the year. You can spend the week down there and then head straight for your home. Wherever that may be. It will be over in no time and you'll be free of us until next season." She stepped even closer to the grumbling man with at least a weeks growth barely hiding his scowl. "Besides, you get to sit around with your little fishing buddies and drink beer and tell stories. Its like the ultimate guy dream."

Then she saw the softening of his azure eyes and a little twinkle and she knew she'd just won.

"I like you." He smiled suddenly. "And since your boyfriend over there looks like he's ready to shoot me with that gun behind his back, I'll just say 'You Win' and be done with it."

"Well…Good." She stammered a bit. She didn't expect the man they call Captain Hook to agree so easily. She was gearing up for an out and out brawl with the burly man. "Because I'm freezing"

"I know you are. I figured arguing with you out here might wear you down." He smirked. "Why do you think I've continued the same losing argument for the past twenty minutes."

End Flashback

Dillon filmed as AJ, Johnny, Francis, Johnny Z, Roy DiLucca and Cooper Barrett all sat around the table at The No Name, drinks flowing freely and jokes being shared. They all ate big Italian meals and were joking and laughing back and forth about the season. Johnny's cameraman was there as well.

Dillon hadn't had as much great footage since the night Jason went off on a rampage after one of the crew screwed up and they nearly lost Ray overboard. He may be getting rid of Ray but he didn't want to kill him to do so. Dillon could tell he was holding it all in so he quickly said he had to go to the head and promptly got five full minutes of total chaos.

"Then he told him, 'That's what you are. You're a weasel you sad fuck' and just turned around and walked out the door. I nearly lost it." Johnny started laughing again remembering the confrontation from earlier.

"You know, I'm really surprised you haven't killed him yet Jason." Francis interjected. "Hell, I can't stand the guy and I have very little contact with the stupid fuck."

"That's because you always make your Lieutenant deal with him when he's in port." AJ interjected.

"What do you know kid?" Francis turned quickly and leveled a death glare at Jason's younger brother.

AJ's bottle slowly drifted from his lips as his eyes widened. Everyone knew that if you ever pissed off Francis Correlli, you were rumored to be sent out as crab bait. Truth be told, many times you were escorted from the docks by the U.S. Coast Guard and instructed never to return again.

But as old fishermen like to do, it was more fun to tell the greenhorns that the bait you hooked to the pot was old John Doe who pissed off Captain Correlli.

As the Port Captain, his duties involved enforcing Dutch Harbor's port safety and security. That included the protection and security of vessels in the harbor, waterfront facilities and the harbor itself. He was also responsible for marine environmental protection and seeing that those working within Dutch Harbor were adhering to EPA regulations.

As a Captain of the U.S. Coast Guard, he ruled the harbor and because he was Francis Correlli, all waterfront facilities, anchorages, security zones, safety zones, regulated navigational areas, deep water ports, water pollution and ports and waterways safety were his domain. The boat captains and crews had a healthy respect for him and his job. He could be a pain in your ass but also was probably the one that saved it if something went wrong.

And the Bearing Sea was not prejudice.

She didn't care if you were a good guy or one of the dirt bags. She'd swallow you and your boat whole if she could. Every season at least one man lost his life and if only one, it was considered a win against the Sea. It was Captain Francis Correlli's job to ensure everything possible was done to win.

And sometimes that meant pissing off the fishermen and the processing plants. That's where Captain Correlli got his reputation. When these manly men got in his face, he didn't use his rank. He used his fist. The guy was as tough as they come and through the years has had to earn his reputation physically.

Which is where he and Jason and Johnny all became great friends.

All three were single, Francis was the oldest of the three and Jason was the youngest, but all three had similar interest and histories and personalities. Although all three would agree that Jason's was the most stony. Johnny was the most outspoken. He was also the one that usually instigated the trouble they got into. Francis, being the oldest of five and the only boy and then marrying and divorcing his high school sweetheart which produced four more girls caused him to be the most understanding and at times, sensitive. Jason was the most logical and straight thinker.

But all of them liked bars, beer and brawling. They liked women without strings and man toys. They worked hard, lived hard and played hard.

"You know the only reason I don't throw him out of the port is because you tell me not to and I really cannot fathom why that is Jason." Francis stated as he lifted his beer to show the cute little blond waitress that he was ready for another one. He was ready for another night of no strings sex with her too but that would come later.

"Look, I've told you, he's..."

"Sonny's brother" Francis cut him off with a roll of his eyes and the same exasperation in his voice that he always had when Jason repeated the same line for why the three of them didn't just get rid of the asshole.

"Well at least we don't have to deal with him in New Orleans." AJ announced and the consensus of the table agreed.

Except for Johnny and it didn't go unnoticed.

"What!" Jason looked his close friend in the eyes, a hardening of his features and a furrowing of his brow showing that he already knew whatever Johnny had to say was going to land him in a pissed off mood.

Johnny didn't speak. He didn't want to ruin their good evening until he found a woman he could sleep with tonight. Usually, his chances of getting laid were less when he wore a black eye or busted up nose. Not that it _couldn't_ happen just that he had to work for it. He just hated having to work for it. Normally the three of them never had to even try.

Dillon spoke up, lowering his hand held camera and facing Jason. "Ric will be in New Orleans. The three captains from the Corinthos fleet were invited for when they introduce you as the newest captain of the show."

"FUCK" Jason immediately stood and threw his cloth napkin on his empty plate.

"Don't worry boss. We'll make sure he stays away from you." Roy DiLucca piped in.

It felt weird calling Jason boss. He was one of Captain Alan's men that trained Jason when he first climbed aboard _The Susan Moore_. He'd been Deck Boss for the past twenty years and remembered Jason's first season. The boy was a natural and Roy DiLucca was proud to have been witness to it. But still, he'd never had to call him boss, until now.

Jason stopped and turned around when he processed what Roy had said through his haze of anger. "You're going?"

"Everyone is going from _The Susan Moore_, Johnny, Taggert and Ric, and the crew from _The Enforcer_." Dillon piped in again. After three weeks, he'd gotten comfortable around Jason. He could better read his moods. This one was bad but not a danger to him, only Ric. If only he knew WHY this Ric guy was so hated by Captain Hook.

"My crew?" Jason looked at Dillon, his shoulders less stiff but his brows still burrowed.

"Yeah, one of the producers wants to introduce you as the new captain through others. She's really good. _The Captain's Table_ will be a show that shows more of the personalities outside of work and the personal lives of the stars of _Deadly Encounters_." Dillon replied.

Jason looked over the people sitting at the table. He didn't mind AJ talking about him. AJ idolized him. And it wasn't like he was embarrassed or ashamed of himself or his burly style. However, he didn't need people he knew telling the whole world his business. He was a private man and everyone at that table knew it. However, he'd seen in the past three weeks how easily the idea of fame could make someone open up to the camera's and discuss anything and everything. He had no desire to be the subject of that discussion.

"I'm going home." Jason said letting out a long controlled breath.

"Hey man, no one's going to throw you under the bus. Not while I'm there." Francis said which caused Jason to perk up.

"You're going to be there?" Jason asked curiously.

"Yep, apparently this little spitfire down in New Orleans is looking into all aspects of the Crab fisherman's life and that includes the Coast Guard who've helped them cheat death." Francis smiled up at Jason remembering fondly the conversation he'd had with the girl. Then he laughed, "This girl did her homework and wants to talk to the guy who's most recognized for cheating the Bearing Sea of it's booty. That's what she said. Cheated the Bearing Sea of its booty."

"Yeah, Elizabeth is great. She's one of our newest producers and is really making a name for herself." Johnny's cameraman chimed in.

"Well she's not making it with me." Jason said then added with a smirk, "I can hear it now...Who are you wearing? or What's your favorite movie?"

It was Dillon's turn to furrow his brows. Jason was sounding quite chauvinistic. It was completely uncharacteristic of him. Sure, women weren't a part of his industry but he had never come across as crass and superior as a part of the male race.

Francis caught the look of the young man. He knew what Jason was doing. He was uncomfortable so he popped off with typical male blurbs. However, Dillon was assigned to Jason so Dillon would find out on his own how highly Jason regarded women. Starting with his mother and sister.

Hell, the fact that he'd never wrung Carly's neck was proof of his respect for women.

.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*.

Elizabeth was exhausted. She'd been slammed for the past two weeks working on her show and assisting with Patrick's new one.

But she couldn't be happier.

After a lengthy discussion of how the show should go and who would take care of what, Jasper Jacks did something that shocked her beyond belief. He offered Justus and Lainey Ward even more money to allow him to add taping another show in their restaurant.  
Then he instructed Diane to write up the contracts so that they could do a little cross over filming. This way Elizabeth could produce _Born on the Bayou _and be the Assistant Producer of the new show, _The Captain's Table_.

Elizabeth was floored.

Patrick, Jax, Alexis and even Milo then strategized with Elizabeth on what needed to be done and what exactly they wanted to get out of both shows and especially their new star producer. Elizabeth and Patrick then worked into the wee hours going over Patrick's vision and how Elizabeth needed to execute it. Finally it became more warding off Patrick Drake the player than working with Patrick Drake the producer so she wrapped it up and told him they could finish via email.

Patrick was dejected and knew he wasn't supposed to be hitting on her but the sexual predator in him wouldn't stop. He wanted her. Bad.

To start, they would need five stationary camera's that filmed at all times. Milo and two other cameramen would then work their hand held camera's to catch any other shots. Eddie Maine and the Idle Rich would play during the taping of each show. It would combine the two shows, lend interest to watching _Born on the Bayou_ and also give the relaxed feel they wanted to get the Captains and crews a chance to loosen up and hopefully open up even more.

They would have the Captains always sitting at the table with Mac hosting and leading the direction of the show. Any guests and some of the boats crews would sit in the background at the bar. It would lend to an audience feel. They would have sexy waitresses and bartenders wearing skimpy outfits advertising their sponsors and the restaurant. The table would be round, just like Elizabeth suggested and there would, at least for this first season, always be an empty chair with a drink set up and a picture of Captain Alan hanging on the wall behind it.

They were quickly renovating the kitchen to have a segment every week of the captain and crew's favorite meals on board the vessels and the restaurants chef would then add helpful shortcuts and healthier versions. The restaurant already had an open style kitchen so that patrons from the restaurant could always see the kitchen's activities but they were now adding new colorful counters and dishes and shelves to lend to the aesthetics of the show.

Another idea of Elizabeth's was to add local artists and artwork into the restaurant and show. They could have painters one week and caricature artists the next week. By the end of the season, the walls would be filled with art of the shows but in the mean time, she was finding the most profound art pieces to hang from locals.

Art was a true passion of hers. Growing up she had originally wanted to be an artist herself. She loved to sketch and paint but in college decided to combine her passion for art with a career where she could actually pay her bills. And Cinematography allowed for both.

But now, at midnight, after taping two shows for Born on the Bayou where she had to fight with Edward Quartermaine himself to get camera access to one of his families infamous living room board meetings, then having a sit down dinner with some of the captains that had already arrived for their first show's taping tomorrow, she was putting in dvd number three of season four.

She only had two more dvd's to go to get caught up completely with the show. One of Patrick's orders was that she had to watch all of the shows from all of the seasons to get a feel for the different personalities prior to taping. He wanted her to know her subjects. She argued that maybe it would be better if she didn't watch first to see what angle she'd pull from NOT knowing them in a different light but Patrick had insisted.

And now, she knew he was right. From just meeting Luis and Lorenzo Alcazar tonight she would have pulled a different feel from them had she not discovered from the shows that they were both a couple of pranksters. Always deadly serious when it came to their jobs but also always trying to find levity in their surroundings.

Then there was Bill Eckert, who reminded her a lot of Lucky's father, Luke. He would have impressed her as ALL fun and games. Party till you drop with a little slight of hand personality. But on the boat he was a hard ass. Serious all the time. She'd learned some new curse words from the Captain because his favorite deckhand was fired so often, she'd lost count. Oddly the guy, Claude, always kept working and always kept his job.

Although some of them were what you see is what you get. Cody Paul was one of them. He was the same person on the boat as he was off. And the brothers Jagger and Stone Cates were too.

In all, she knew she had a great story to find in each of them. But admittedly her favorite so far was Captain Alan and the crew of _The Susan Moore_.

She watched the seasons of him progressively getting more and more endearing. She understood easily after watching the first three seasons why all of the fishermen and all of the production crew loved him and mourned him.

She settled down in her bed in the back of the Winnebago to watch the last dvd. The one she knew had the three shows where Captain Alan got sick and died. As she pressed play, she immersed herself in the show as she'd done every night for the past week.

An hour later she was nearing the end of the final show with Captain Alan. She had been crying non stop for the past twenty minutes. Her box of tissues was half gone. She sat up as AJ was talking to his brother, the often mentioned Jason Morgan. The unseen man on the other end of the phone seemed to calm AJ. But the desperation and need in AJ's voice for his older brother to be there was evident.

Mention of their sister, Emily, flying in from Portland had her sit up and jot down a few notes. Then seeing AJ interact with her had her coming up with more ideas. There was a true bond here and both brother and sister, in talking outside of their father's ICU room, made her know that to them, the only person who could stand in for their father was their older brother Jason.

She wondered to herself what type of person Jason was. Obviously he was a very loving and caring person. She imagined him to be warm and open. She knew from production notes that he was quickly named Captain Hook but she could not reconcile the descriptions she'd heard to the person AJ and Emily so desperately needed to help them through the death of their father.

Her thoughts were suspended as the final few segments started to air. AJ and Emily were headed to the airport to get their brother. Apparently he was flying in to Anchorage on his own private jet that he piloted. Then the phone rang and they turned around in a desperate attempt to get back to the hospital in time.

_We've got to go in now. If we wait any longer..._ the doctor explained to AJ and Emily. Elizabeth was riveted to the TV as she pulled the last of the tissues from the box. She was crying just as hard as Emily as she watched the man, on his deathbed talking to his children.

_Tell your mother I have always loved her._

_I will pop_

_And Emily, you take care of her. _

_I will Daddy_

_AJ..._ Elizabeth watched as the older man weakly grasped his son's hand and then brought his hand up to cup his son's cheek. _I'm sorry._

_Why are you sorry Pop?_

_I wasn't there for you when you and Emily were growing up and you needed your father._

_What are you talking about? Pop you were the best father anyone could ever ask for. _

_No I wasn't. And I need you to do something for me._

_Anything Pop... _AJ was crying now and the younger man kept swiping at his eyes.

_Tell Jase.._.Captain Alan choked up and Elizabeth felt it was more emotion than illness

_Tell Jase thank you._

_Thank you?... _Both Emily and AJ said at the same time.

_Tell him thank you for me. He has been everything I never was. He...he is the best parts of me. He...tell him I love him and tell him I've always been so proud of him and...just tell him I love him._

_We will Daddy... _Emily kissed her father's cheek as the orderlies released the brake and started to roll the older man to surgery.

Elizabeth knew from production notes that he went to surgery, survived it but then had another heart attack a day later. He never woke up from the surgery.

She was crying so hard she missed the entire segment of Jason finally arriving at the hospital, he and AJ talking. Jason going alone into Alan's ICU recovery room and telling the older man who was still in an anesthetized sleep something that the sound didn't pick up and then Jason refusing to tell the cameraman what he said. She missed the part where the doctor came into the private waiting room and told all three kids that their father had passed away and she missed the final scene where Jason and AJ were talking about him taking over _The Susan Moore_, what was always supposed to be Jason's birthright while he sat gently running his fingers through his sleeping sister's hair in a soothing, calming rhythm.

She was crying so hard that Elizabeth missed the piercing blue eyes that would soon haunt her every waking thoughts as the camera focused in on the one lone tear that didn't dare fall.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: ABC and Discovery created the characters and the show. Some ideas have come from both. I'm just having fun with my own little idea of the hybrid.

Authors Note: This chapter (aside from the last few pages) was a pain in my ass. BUT... FINALLY THEY MEET!

**Chapter 3**

Jason stepped out of the airport and immediately felt the humidity as well as the energy in the air. New Orleans was a fishing town, much like Dutch Harbor but it was more than that. It had an eclectic feel.

After being in Alaska for the past few months, the nearly eighty degree weather was a welcomed change. Late April in Alaska was still filled with twenty degree temperatures and snow covering the ground. He was used to the weather. After years of being on the Bearing Sea, he didn't even feel the cold. Or so it would seem, but warm sun and no need for a jacket was soothing to his body.

New Orleans was going to be exactly what Diane Miller had suggested. A mini vacation in the warm climate for a week. Or possibly two. Francis and Johnny were talking about going over to the casino's in Bilouxi and he had to admit, it sounded like fun.

He wasn't a gambler but he could enjoy watching Johnny and Francis lose their asses in cards. Besides, he was known to play a high stakes hand of five card on a rare occasion. And Johnny promised lots of beautiful women to occupy their time away from the card tables.

He looked around and noticed AJ headed over to a couple of stretch limo's waiting for them. _Deadly Encounters _was sparing no expense he guessed. His thoughts of the next few days caused him to scowl. He'd be spending his days with a fucking camera stuck in his face asking him to talk about his _feelings_.

Who the fuck cared about his feelings?

He noticed a beautiful young blond get out of the front of the limo with a clip board. His eyebrow went up. She was a cute little thing. He could probably flip her around his bed with ease. But after focusing in on her, she looked to be barely legal drinking age. He didn't care for girls that much younger than him. They tended to have no substance.

He laughed to himself and Francis elbowed him in the ribs when they both noticed that their friend, Johnny, seemed to have no problem sliding right up to her. Johnny didn't care if they were short, tall, blond, brunette, blue eyes, brown eyes. He really had no specific "look" that turned him on. If she had tits, she was golden and do-able.

Francis liked the smart women. He liked them to be quick witted and be able to match him, brain for brain. Mid forties was his range and he didn't stray out of it much. He was forty six and he wasn't interested in huge age differences to pose a challenge. He wanted someone that liked REO Speedwagon, knew what a record album looked like and didn't need pills to help them pee. And he always seemed to find a woman that exuded sexy in a nonchalant way. They didn't come right out and dress that way but Jason would study the women Francis tended to date and they were always that typical librarian that had a secret porn life type.

Except, of course, for the women he would bed simply to release the urges he had as a man. The girl last night at The No Name was one of his favorites. Apparently she never asked questions or even for dinner and drinks before hand. She would call him up or he call her and they'd meet at her apartment and two hours later he'd be done, calling Jason to see if he wanted to go get a beer. There was no specific look to those girls, much like Johnny, they simply needed to have the right equipment and attitude.

Jason on the other hand was slightly more selective. Not that he didn't have his one night stands. He did. Plenty of them. But he tended to like petite brunettes. The opposite of him with his large frame and blond hair. He liked them to be smart and adventurous. A little bit of a dare devil. And busy with their own lives because he didn't do clingy very well.

Which made him think of Courtney. Courtney was the opposite of everything he ever looked for in a woman. She was blond and clingy and wasn't really that smart. Adventurous to her was a shopping trip with Carly at Wyndams when there was a big sale going on. If he honestly thought hard about it, he wasn't really sure why he was with her at all.

Except that in Dutch Harbor, he wasn't much for bed hopping. Too many people knew too much of his business already. So Courtney somehow became convenient. And for the past year, she was convenient. But for the past few weeks, all of Opilio season, she was starting to annoy him. Even last night, when they'd had sex a couple of times, she wanted to lay there and talk.

He wanted her to leave so he could sleep.

But in her rambling, he discovered that she was ready to face her brother because she wanted a relationship with him.

A relationship.

When the hell did she ever get the idea from, '_Hey, you want to come up to my room after your shift?_' that he was interested in a relationship?

He had never led her on. Sure they'd had breakfast together plenty of times but only at Jakes. No one would suspect anything from him coming down from his room in the morning and her being there and eating breakfast with him. Especially since she was Sonny's sister.

They had spent time together when at Sonny's. Sonny owned two houses. When he was fishing, his whole family was in Dutch Harbor. When they were off, his family went back east to live in New York where Sonny was from. So for him to hang out with her socially wasn't unheard of. However, he never led her to believe there was anything more than sex between them.

Admittedly though, the sex was pretty good. She was a pleaser. She wanted to make sure he had a smile on his face when she was through. Sometimes her satisfaction was an afterthought to her.

You gotta love a girl like that!

Jason felt guilty sometimes. It wasn't like him to be that way but he'd been burned so badly that he was still skittish. He knew he was over his ex-wife. Completely. However, he never wanted to feel that type of pain and humiliation again. He wasn't willing to put himself out there to chance feeling it. And if he was, Courtney Mathews would not have been someone he would have chosen.

But he didn't flat out say he wasn't interested. The dog in him still wanted the booty call so when she said something about taking vacation and coming out to stay with him, he told her it wouldn't be much fun for her. When she talked about telling her brother, he stated that now wouldn't be a good time because of Alan's death. When she asked if he'd take her to New Orleans he flat out stated NO but then stroked her hair and softened a bit and said he and the boys would be working and she'd have to spend most of the time alone.

That was enough to satisfy her. She really was so easy. Another thing he should probably feel guilty for. His soft voice and tender touch garnered him one hell of a blow job this morning so in the end, her staying the night was worth it, he guessed.

As long as she didn't make a habit of it, waking up to blow jobs could be a new perk.

AJ tugged on his brother's dufflebag and pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up and smiled. Johnny already had the girl wrapped around his finger. The guy was smooth. He looked around and saw that everyone was already in the various limo's and it was just him and AJ waiting to get in.

"Hey man, where'd you go?" AJ teased his brother.

AJ had a hunch where his brother's mind was. He caught Courtney sneaking down the back stairs from the rooms above the bar and then ten seconds later Jason appeared at the stairs that led to the bar and restaurant wiping off a color of lipstick that perfectly matched Courtney's.

His brother's secret was pretty well kept but there were a few of them that knew. He just wished his brother would get rid of the idea that he'll never find someone he can trust again. Of course AJ didn't think it would be with Courtney though. She wasn't honestly his type. He knew Jason's heart was completely healed from the mangling it had taken but Jason wouldn't want a simpleton like Courtney. But he wished so much for his brother to let go and allow himself to find happiness. He just needed to put himself out there.

AJ was ready to settle down. He'd learned at the hands of the master how to play the field and sow his wild oats. But as he approached thirty he realized that he wanted stability and a family to come home to. He wanted to give his mother grandchildren and basically move to the next phase of his life. Sadly he lost his father but it jumpstarted his professional move to take over the business and the boat from the old man, now he wanted to make the change in his private life as well.

"Ehh, I was just thinking how warm it is down here." Jason covered.

He saw the look in his brother's eyes and knew his brother had an inkling that his thoughts were much deeper but now wasn't the time to get into it. Camera's were everywhere and he'd be damned if he let THEM in on his private thoughts. He was sick of the cameras already and if that kid Dillon wasn't as easy to get along with, they wouldn't get anything out of him at all. The other cameraman on the boat sure doesn't.

They climbed into the limo and Jason eyed the crew of The Susan Moore. Ray didn't come because Patrick knew Jason was firing him so no need to spend the money. Logan Hayes was also on the chopping block but the producers wanted to do it on camera because Logan was a popular character on the show. Jason didn't care. The guy was a threat to the boat and the crew but he didn't hate him. Why would he care if he got a free trip out of his termination. Personality wise the guy was okay but work wise he was dangerous. It's not like firing him on TV would change the fact that he didn't have a job on _The Susan Moore_ come King Crab season.

He watched out the window as they moved quickly through the streets of New Orleans. It was a beautiful town. He'd been here a few times. He traveled a lot when he was in his early twenties and he remembered New Orleans had some beautiful spots to view the Gulf of Mexico.

Every once in a while one of the guys would pull his attention and he'd smile or nod his head in agreement but for the most part, he was stuck in his own thoughts. For the past three weeks on _The Susan Moore_ he had been engulfed with memories. Memories of when times were better between him and Alan and memories of his mother.

And now he had to go and talk on camera about all of that.

It just wasn't his style.

He laughed to himself remembering what Dillon had told one of the producers on the phone.

'Good luck getting him to talk. You'd be better off gnawing your arm off.'

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

They pulled up to Ward House and from the outside it looked like an old run down building. There was fresh paint and the sidewalk was clean but the building itself looked a hundred years old. There were only two bay windows in the front and the street was narrow. The only indication you were actually at a popular hotspot in New Orleans was the Valet Parking sign up next to the door and the line of wooden benches down the sidewalk in front of the rest of the building.

Jason checked his watch, valet parking started in four hours. That was a good sign. That most likely meant that they would be done for the day by then. He waited for AJ, Logan, Roy and Cooper to climb out. He looked to his side and noticed Dillon was already filming him.

"You never quit do you kid?" Jason stated as he shoved his hands into his blue jean pockets and tipped back a bit in his motorcycle boots.

"Jason, all I'm supposed to do is film you. I mean how easy is that. I get paid to just film you doing interesting things that the world will want to see."

Dillon said all of that with a straight face and then waited the two beats it took for Jason to give him the "Stone Cold Glare". Then he crossed his eyes and put his forefinger to the side of his temple and used his thumb to pull the fake trigger.

That got a laugh out of the Captain and Jason patted him on the back. "They should probably pay you a bonus for putting up with me."

Dillon was shocked. He knew Jason didn't know he was ACTUALLY being paid more for dealing with "Captain Hook" but his guess was right on the money.

Jason walked into the bar and restaurant and looked around. He could see where, for filming purposes, two thirds of the bar was roped off. In the corner was a stage where a band was set up. The restaurant was busy with a lunch crowd. The kitchen was open and you could see the kitchen workers bustling inside there as the wait staff quickly moved around the restaurant. The bar split off the restaurant from the lounge. Jason immediately took notice of the few patrons at the bar or tall tables and the jukebox and pool table in the far corner. Dart machines and a pinball machine finished off the room.

Temporary lighting was set up and a large round table was being set for the day's filming. Jason had noticed a truck outside loaded with small cocktail tables and chairs. The large round table seemed out of place and he figured it was one of those "prop" things he'd heard AJ and Dillon talking about at breakfast.

Back behind the pool table was captains chairs set up for temporary makeup and hair stations. Jason had been warned about that. On the boat, they were just themselves but on this new program, they'd have their hair done and makeup put on. The guys had already been placing bets on whether Jason would allow hair and makeup done to himself. AJ had already offered him half of his winnings if he'd simply toss the makeup table and make the hair girl cry.

Once he got the lay of the room down and decided he really liked the place, Jason let out a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't be uncomfortable with his surroundings. He took another look around, looking for exits and troublesome characters and headed toward the bar.

Johnny met him with a beer and a grin. "Did you see that chick in the limo? Man she's fucking hot!"

"Yeah, but she looked to be jail bait man." Francis slid up beside Jason and shook his head no to the bartender. As a Coast Guard representative, he'd have to drink AFTER the interviews.

"She's twenty three." Johnny said excitedly. "Her name's Maxie and she works as an assistant in production. She said her new boss was single also."

"So I take it you already have plans for tonight then." Jason said evenly. He knew it was possible it would be just him and Francis. Johnny was always the wild card.

Looking around the room and noticing quite a few females he wouldn't mind getting to know, Francis spoke up "So, who's her boss?"

"Oh, I don't know. Some Elizabeth chick." Johnny replied as he pulled on his beer.

Patrick came up and started talking to the three. "Hey, glad you guys could make it."

All three shook Patrick's hand and then Patrick checked his clipboard, "Okay, Francis…we're going to do the Coast Guard segment first. It will probably be kind of long but it's going to be broken up into a few shows."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?" Francis asked, tugging on his collar. He would have preferred to be in uniform but Patrick had insisted he wanted him dressed casually. A suite without the tie and coat was as casual as the Coast Guard was willing to let Francis get.

"Well, actually…you see that guy over there?" Patrick pointed at a man with a beret, a goatee, glasses and three pencils sticking out from behind his ears "That's one of our writers. He has your script. Get that and you can look over it while in hair and makeup."

Johnny laughed out loud and Jason choked a bit on his beer. Both silently thinking to themselves that they definitely needed pictures of Francis getting makeup put on his face and his hair styled. The guy was all military, all man and all about minimalism. Flex shampoo, a comb and the occasional chapstick was his idea of hair and makeup.

Johnny and Jason at least both used a face lotion for the harsh winds on the boat and hair gel in their hair.

Francis grumbled something incoherent under his breath but then curiosity got the best of him, "What do you mean script?"

Patrick, who was already focused on other happenings turned back to the three who now ALL had puzzled looks on their face. "Oh, well everything is scripted for topical purposes. Mac, that guy chewing on the ends of his reading glasses with the salt and pepper hair over there, he's going to keep you all on topic and flowing. He has specific questions he'll ask you and then you answer however you want."

Patrick smiled at Johnny and Jason who both breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Francis and his face took on a serious note. "However, for you, The Coast Guard has already seen the script and sent in the proper responses on some of it. You can put it into your own words but they want to make sure you cite any regulations correctly. You can look over what will be asked and then refresh your memory on any regulations that apply. When we film, we'll check to see that your response stays accurate with what your bosses gave us. Your segment may need a few re-takes which is why we figured we'd start with your first."

"Oh, well that makes sense. But just so you know, I can recite the fucking Coast Guard Regulations verbatim." Francis' back stiffened and Patrick immediately put his hand up in surrender.

"I'm not questioning your knowledge. Actually, your boss told us the same thing. We just have an obligation to make sure that the public doesn't get any mis information from our show. It's a liability. Like if we were to say you need one life jacket for every two persons on board. It would be wrong but some family in Ohio would sue us because they didn't have enough life vests on their boat and Uncle George drowned." He noticed all three nod at that statement. "So we are extra careful with that stuff. But again, Mr. Correlli, we really want you casual and relaxed. We're aware of your friendships with many of the fishermen and we want to capitalize on that. We want your answers from you, not from the Regs book."

"Problem is Drake...Francis and the Regs book are one in the same." Jason commented and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and walked off.

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

Jason roamed around as filming was happening. He wanted to stay as far away from all of it as he could. Besides, Dillon told him that they didn't want him seen on screen even if by accident until they introduced him. He had played a game of pool and eaten some dish the kitchen cooked called Trout Meuniere. It was really good.

He left his brother in the kitchen. Keisha Ward, one of the cooks and granddaughter of the family owned eatery's founder had captivated AJ and Jason couldn't sit and watch his brother drool over the woman any longer.

He wandered around outside, checking out his surroundings. As he turned a corner, he heard loud voices. A couple arguing. He looked up to see one of the cameramen, the one he kicked off of _The Susan Moore_ the first day. Lucky was standing at the door of a Winnebago and pleading for someone inside to take him back. He promised to change. To focus on her. To be the man she wanted.

Honestly, to Jason, it just made him look like less of a man.

For some reason, he stayed at the corner watching the man plead his case. He laughed when he heard the woman tell Lucky the same thing he was thinking.

"Lucky, you CAN'T be the man I want. Look at you here begging me after all this time. It's been YEARS. This, right here, just makes you look like less than a man. You're a child. You're having a tantrum because you aren't getting what you want. Well...GROW UP!"

Jason watched as a hand snaked out of the Winnebago's doors and shoved Lucky backward. The kid nearly tripped causing Jason to have to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing out loud.

Suddenly the woman attached to the hand appeared and Jason's jaw dropped.

She was GORGEOUS!

Stunning actually. Her profile parlayed her strong features. She had a strong jaw and pouting lips. Her hair cascaded in tendrils down her back. Big fat curls of chocolate that were sun kissed red. She was petite but he could see her strength in the tiny package. Her nose was tiny with a little slope turned up at the end. Her skin glowed in the afternoon sun.

"Lucky, I'm sick of having this same argument with you. We've been over for years. Right now, we HAVE to work together for the next few days. That's it. Get over it and aside from WORK, leave me alone!"

She turned and stalked off. Jason watched her walk away. Suddenly his admiration of her tripled. Every sway of her hips in her white knee length shorts and the click of her heels made his insides wake up and take notice. Her ass was PHENOMINAL!

Jason didn't realize it but his legs suddenly started moving forward. He looked to his right when he heard the cameraman yell after the woman. He realized he was now standing next to the guy.

"ELIZABETH WAIT! PLEASE?", Lucky yelled.

Jason pushed passed him, laughing at the look of fear on his face when he realized it was Jason walking past him. Apparently he wasn't over his physical removal from _The Susan Moore_. Jason DID laugh out loud at that.

Good, let the little shit be scared of him.

Yet the woman, Elizabeth, was drawing him to her. Jason couldn't help but continue after her.

His mind raced. She said she worked with Lucky. Could she be the Elizabeth that was producing this show? Surely she wasn't. She looked young. He was expecting someone older. This woman looked to be his sister's age.

Soon it was confirmed. She WAS the Elizabeth running _The Captain's Table. _He walked in the side door to Ward House a few yards behind Elizabeth. Immediately he noticed she was in a deep discussion with Patrick Drake pointing at something on Patrick's clipboard. She then pointed at the table.

Jason slid up to the bar, not noticing his two friends watching him. They'd never seen him so captivated by a woman. Sure the man could appreciate beauty and there was no denying that the brunette talking to Patrick Drake was beautiful but Jason's eyes hadn't left her since walking in the door.

Johnny slid up beside him. "Here, looks like you need something to cool you down."

He slid the full Stella Artois Lager in front of Jason. Jason's hand absentmindedly curling around the cool liquid. His eyes never leaving Elizabeth's form.

His crystal blue eyes took in the deep blue of hers. They sparkled. She enjoyed her job. He watched as she listened to Patrick and nibbled on her bottom lip in thought. It caused an instant reaction in his groin and he couldn't stop the slight groan that escaped his lips. His head followed her graceful arms as they pointed around the room and he swallowed thickly as she quickly pulled her hair up and twisted it into a messy bun and fastened it with a pencil. He let out a slow breath as he admired her graceful, swanlike neck...so smooth and creamy white.

He took a sip of his beer, enjoying the cool liquid as it went down.

"Okay, we need you guys in hair and makeup. Then we need to set lighting." Maxie's assistant said.

"Sure thing darlin" Johnny smiled. He brushed past Jason headed to the makeshift salon set up in the corner.

"Uh...that means you Captain Hoo...uhhh Mr. Morgan." Maxie corrected herself.

Jason didn't even hear her. He was focused in on the way Elizabeth's mouth, berry red and full, moved as she talked. She was now talking to a guy who looked very much like Diane's boyfriend, Max. He was younger and a little smaller in size but the resemblance was uncanny.

Suddenly fingers were snapping in front of his face.

"Yoohoo...can you _please_ get your tight ass moving? We're on a strict schedule." Maxie finally managed to lure Captain Hook out of his trance but now his irritated look caused an uncomfortable shiver to go through her.

Sexy as he may be, he looked ready to kill her.

"What . Do . You . Want"

Stiffening her spine she jutted her chin up. She may be Mac's daughter but she was going to earn her place in this business on her own. She was tough and knew how to get the job done. She was now hooked up with Patrick Drake and Elizabeth Webber and she knew that now was NOT the time to fail.

"I . Said . Get . Your . Ass . In . The . Hair . And . Makeup . Chair . Now!"

Johnny doubled back and tugged at his friends arm. "Come on Jase, lets get this over with so we can go find some trouble later, New Orleans style."

He winked at the tight little blond bombshell he'd been hitting on since the airport. Hopefully the trouble he found tonight would include her, naked, under him.

Jason walked with his friend. Twenty minutes later they were sitting at the table with lights blaring down on them. He'd lost track of Elizabeth once they started spraying his hair and putting this thick pore clogging crap on his skin. He had to close his eyes as the hairspray started flying and since then, he hadn't caught sight of her.

Now, the little blond that Johnny insisted was his next conquest was pissing him off.

"I don't DRINK Coors Light. I drink Stella." He growled.

"You're GOING to drink Coors Light while you're sitting at this table." Maxie leaned in, hand on hip, nearly nose to nose with the gruff boat captain.

"Look..." Jason stopped talking when he heard her.

"Um...maybe we can come up with a sort of compromise." The melodic voice floated across the room and wrapped around Jason's ears, tickling them.

He couldn't see her but knew it was Elizabeth. Suddenly she stepped under the lights and Jason swore the glow around her made her look like an angel. He looked up and the tension faded. His piercing blue eyes captured hers and he suddenly felt at home. Her eyes were the color of the Bearing Sea, the deepest blue green you could ever find.

"Mr. Morgan, we have to have all of you guys drinking Coors Light. You could have a drink in a glass at the table. You know, like a rum and coke or like Mr. Paul, who doesn't drink alcohol, you can have a soda or something. However, Coors is one of our biggest advertisers for this show. I'd get in so much trouble if I allowed any other kind of beer shown." She tapped her pencil to her chin and Jason followed the movement. "BUT, maybe we could get a Coors Light beer glass and put your favorite beer in there."

She turned looking toward the bar then turned back, "That is if there aren't any other options you'd be okay with. I want you to be happy. That's what I'm here for."

Jason nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't form words at this point. She wanted him happy. That's why she's here. GOD how that made his mind race. The things she could do to make him happy.

"Okay, well we have the beer glasses with the Coors Light logo on them. Let's get you one with your favorite beer in it and then get another one that's empty." She walked around the table and stood next to him. His eyes following her every movement.

"Milo, get me an empty Coors Light bottle. We'll set that in front of him. No one will know the difference. Also, here..." she leaned over the table and with her pencil drew a little "X" in front of him to the right. "We'll do the product placement here."

Jason was fixated on her chest. She was wearing a green wrap around blouse and the swell of her breasts were peeking over the top of the material and were at the perfect eye level for him. Her breasts looked like they would fit perfectly in his hands.

He wanted to know if they did.

"Mr. Morgan...Jason?" Elizabeth's voice pulled him out of his dirty thoughts. "Would you be willing to do that for me?"

"Hmmm?" was all his throat would allow. He needed to swallow the drool that had pooled from him thinking of the sexy woman standing next to him. The hint of jasmine mixed with maybe lavender that wafted through the air each time she moved. The thoughts of running his fingers through her long silky locks and the taste of her alabaster skin on his lips.

"At one point during taping, would you be willing to pour a full Coors Light into your beer glass? Of course it would be the empty glass and then you could set the beer bottle down right on the mark that I put on the table and we'd cut and switch the glass with YOUR beer then resume taping." She lightly touched his shoulder and he felt an electricity move through him he'd never felt before. "I promise, I won't ask you to take a sip. It's just a little trick of the trade. That way I make you happy all the while keeping my advertisers happy which keeps me earning a paycheck."

Jason could only nod. Still unable to speak, especially now that she'd touched him. At this point, if she asked, he'd probably drink the Coors Light.

AJ, Johnny and Francis all smirked, catching each others eyes. Jason was a goner. Diane and Max were standing next to the three men watching everything play out.

"You know my big strong handsome teddy bear. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we have a whole other reality show in the making right here. A real live version of Beauty and the Beast."

All four men who heard her nodded their heads in agreement.


	5. Chapter 4

Title: Hook's Perfect Storm

Chapter: 4

Date Posted: 10/19/2010

Story Rated: M overall

Archive: Yes

Disclaimer: ABC and Discovery, GH and Deadliest Catch are owners of characters and themes and plot points in this story. I'm simply giving my take on it.

Happy Birthday Patti!

**Chapter 4**

Elizabeth was so worried that her newest project, the one that would show Jasper Jacks that she could handle a show from idea to the screen, would become a disaster. There was so much going on. Now, with her idea of the cooking segment, she felt like maybe she'd taken on too much. There was so much to do and all of it, its success or failure, rested on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's going to be fine." Milo tried to comfort her. He could see she was stressed and knew that she was being harder on herself than she needed to be. She always expected way more of herself and took on responsibility for things that weren't within her control.

"No it's not. We've got four shows and we need two more, at least. Then add in the special show of Captain Alan's life." She blew her hair out of her face and rolled her eyes as it fell right back where it was. "And now Lucky's here and being a pain in my ass. Every time I turn around he's there. Then there's the fact that since Patrick showed up, he's taken over. Jax isn't even going to credit me for any of this."

She leaned over the bar and grabbed the soda gun, spraying more Sprite into her glass. Milo looked around and took notice of each man who was staring at her ass as it was displayed, nice and round, on the bar. He gave each person a leveled glare but flinched when one glare that was returned caused his spine to stiffen.

Seeing that she might lose her footing when standing back upright after her sexy stretch over the bar, something that she was completely oblivious to, he steadied her by grabbing on to her waist then turned her to look him in the eyes again.

"Jax knows you are the one running this show. And if Patrick steps on your toes, I'LL deal with him."

She looked up and gave her favorite co-worker a watery smile. "I don't think you and Max need to beat the shit out of him."

He raised an eyebrow and winked. "I don't know. If he keeps leering at you like he does, I think beating the shit out of him would be a pretty kind response from me."

Then he added, "And I don't need Max to help me take care of that light weight."

"Yeah well, that _light weight_ can make or break my career. Yours too. Don't forget he's the Golden Child"

He gripped her shoulder and waited until she was looking in his eyes. "Don't forget YOU'RE the next big thing. You've got it all. You've got talent, looks, brains and you've got me as your cameraman. If Patrick is golden, then you're platinum Lizzie."

She swatted his chest. "Don't call me that." Then looked around to make sure no one overheard his nickname for her. She hated it and would die if these crab fishermen started calling her Lizzie.

He feigned injury but then laughed causing her to laugh. "Well we still need to figure out one more show to make eight and we need to get Mr. Talks A Lot over there to open up."

"Mr. Talks A Lot?" Milo queried and looked around.

"Captain Hook. He won't do anything. He sits there like a brick wall. It's infuriating." She blew the hair out of her face again and again it fell right back.

Dillon overheard the conversation and decided that might be his chance to get in good with two people who had the ear of the top dogs of the company. He wanted his foothold somehow and this might be his chance.

"You know Miss Webber…" He started and then clamped his mouth shut when she put up her hand, palm out to silence him.

"Please call me Elizabeth, Miss Webber is way too formal." She turned her body to give her full attention once she realized he was the cameraman who was rumored to be the only person to successfully work with the man the crew had deemed Captain Hook. "Now, please go on."

"Uh…yeah…well…I was going to say that…" He looked around to make sure Jason was nowhere near him to overhear what he was going to say. No sense in losing his job, his bonus and possibly his life in one fell swoop. "Well, as you know I'm the guy lucky enough to be his cameraman…"

Milo and Elizabeth listened intently for ten minutes while Dillon clued them in to anything and everything Jason Morgan.

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

"So, who are you wearing and what's your favorite movie?"

After Jason's jaw hung open for a minute, she looked at him and slid into the stool next to him at the bar. "You look like a Levi's and Hanes guy but your one and only suit is Armani."

She motioned for the bartender to bring her another beer, choosing to drink the kind he was drinking even though she didn't really like it as much as she liked regular old Bud Light.

"You couldn't possibly choose only one movie as a favorite but I'd bet _Hang Em High_ and _Bridge Over the River Kwai_ are in the top three but secretly so is Ohhhhh...hmmmm..." she sized him up and down then tapped her pen on her chin as she bit her bottom lip, "I'm thinking _Steel Magnolias_."

Jason's eyes grew wide. _Steel Magnolias_ was one of his favorite movies of all times. He and his mother would watch it every time it came on and he had it in his collection in the disguise of a Salmon Fishing documentary case. His favorite parts of the movie were when Weeza and Drum would argue.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed and she could feel the heat rolling off of him. Slowly she lifted the Stella beer bottle to her lips, wincing a bit as the bitterness hit her tongue. "Gotcha" she announced quietly and then leaned over and bumped her shoulder into his bicep.

Immediately she noticed that his bicep was rock solid. Turning to fully face him she plastered on a smile that was meant for business but it slowly turned into a softer, genuine smile as her eyes locked in on his crystal blue ones. He was handsome and his eyes were so expressive.

"So who told you, AJ or Dillon?" Jason asked, trying to keep his cool even though he could still feel where her shoulder touched his bicep.

"Oh, I'm sworn to secrecy but I guessed on the _Steel Magnolias_. It's my favorite movie so I figure it should be everyone's as well." She said in a rush.

"So it was Dillon" He surmised correctly and noticed when she flinched at his tone.

They sat in silence a minute but noticing she was getting nervous and inching off the stool he quickly recovered. "It's cool as long as THAT bit of information doesn't make it past us."

He watched as her shoulders relaxed and she slid back into the stool more fully. Swiveling his stool, he turned and put his motorcycle boots up, one on the bar's foot rail and the other on the rung of her stool, effectively trapping her. His elbow slid across the bar and he leaned his head into his open palm and looked at her.

Noticing her beer was almost empty, he said "Can I get you another?"

She turned and realized how close he was. It was as if he was cocooning her in his personal space. She could smell his aftershave and it complimented him. Spice and Leather and…clean. She looked up and could see his full attention was on her.

"Hmmm?...what?" She said, suddenly very aware of the man that was with her and feeling little butterflies in her stomach.

"Beer, can I get you another beer?" His voice was smooth and even. He took his left arm and turned her chair so that her knees were between his and her body was fully facing him. Then left his arm on the back of her stool.

"Oh, I…" she looked down at the beer bottle that was in her hands, nearly empty and unintentionally her face soured in expression. "I think I've had plenty."

"That's your first and you don't like it." He stated without hesitation.

"Huh? Oh, no Stella is a great beer." She was a little too enthusiastic but her eyes gave her away.

"I think so but not everyone does. Why are you drinking it though? I don't know too many women that like Stella. Usually it's a little too heavy for their taste." He saw she was about to respond and not wanting her to keep up whatever ruse she was pulling that he didn't understand, he stopped her "and I can tell by the look on your face and especially in your eyes that you're trying to like it but you don't. I don't get it though. Why would you want to drink a beer you don't like and then convince me that you do?"

Her chin hit her chest. "I'm just trying to figure out a way to get you to open up to me. I've got a lot riding on this show and you've proven to be pretty non responsive. I've…it's my job to introduce you to the fans so that next season they feel like they already somewhat know you."

"Why is that?" He asked, letting it go that she never really answered his questions.

"Well Captain Alan…he was extremely popular. We've got a big hole to fill."

"A big hole huh?" He dropped his arm and turned back to the bar immediately starting to pick at the label on his beer bottle.

"Ummm…I'm sorry. I know he was your step-father." She placed her delicate hand on his forearm and his eyes shot down to notice the glaring difference. Her skin was milky white and smooth. His was dark and weather roughened. She squeezed and his eyes shot up to hers. The sympathy and regret he saw there was his undoing.

He groaned and pulled his arm from under her hand and scrubbed at his face. How was he supposed to tell her that he'd love to tell her everything? Inexplicably, he felt at ease with her. He'd never felt this way so soon after meeting someone. He also wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep her there forever. Not for her but for him. Like she could ease his conscience just by being in his arms. In the few hours he'd been in her presence…well smitten wasn't a word he would choose to use but captivated was. She'd completely captured all of his awareness and for some reason, he felt a sense of peace and happiness from it.

But she was the producer of a show that wanted to spread his family's dirty laundry all over the universe. For someone as private as Jason was, she was also the enemy.

He laughed at that thought. She's the devil in disguise.

Elizabeth could see he was warring with opening up to her or keeping everything close to the vest. She decided to use a different tactic.

"Well, I have some work to do. Milo and I have a lot of footage to go over already." She looked over her shoulder when she heard the loud clanging of a pot falling to the floor in the kitchen area. "Have you noticed your brother hasn't left Keisha's side since he walked in the door this morning?"

"Who's Keisha?" He asked.

"Oh, she's one of the Ward's. Her grandmother is the one who originally opened this restaurant in the fifties." Elizabeth pointed over at the picture behind the wall of Mary Mae Ward "Miss Mary was a chef for the Quartermaine family. After some sort of scandal that I haven't uncovered yet, she left and Edward Quartermaine set her up with this restaurant. It became famous. All the famous jazz artist would come here for her food. Her grandchildren are now running the place."

She pointed to a man at the end of the bar with a calculator and paperwork in front of him. "That's Justice. He runs the place." Then she pointed over at a waitress. "That's Maya. She's actually a great granddaughter of Mary Mae. Justice's niece." Then she pointed to where AJ was standing next to a beautiful black woman in the kitchen. "And that's Keisha. She's the head chef. She knows all of Mary Mae's recipes that made this place so well known."

"I've never heard of it." He said absently as he watched his brother and Keisha. She was cooking something and he was completely spellbound by her.

"Oh, well then you don't watch our sister cable channel, The Food Station" she turned back to him. "We have this show that hunts down famous eateries. Not famous like _Spago _or _The Lady and Sons_ but more like folk lore famous. Word of mouth famous."

She noticed him laugh to himself. "What's so funny?"

"I don't know what a _Spago_ is or a _Lady and Sons_ either." He laughed out loud.

"Oh…Spago is the famous restaurant in Los Angeles…Wolfgang Puck…famous celebrity chef?" Seeing that no recognition came to his face. "Paula Deen? Savannah? No?"

"I've been to Savannah. Beautiful port there. Nice and warm." He said when she mentioned Savannah.

"Oh yeah, the stories…Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"

"And you lost me." He said once again smiling as he noticed the truly shocked look on her face. "But I've read a book about Savannah and its history. It's really fascinating. I'd like to go back when I have time to really look around."

"Oh the houses there…and the big huge trees…and…Paula Deen!"

"Paula Deen…she has a cooking magazine." He remembered seeing it in the hospital when they were waiting on word of Alan.

"Yes and she's the famous chef that owns _The Lady and Sons_ restaurant in Savannah."

"Never heard of it."

"Yeah you're probably a Hooters kind of connoisseur." She joked but started to back pedal when she immediately saw the way he shut down but his eyes belied hurt. "I'm a Dick's girl myself." Referencing another wing franchise. "Yep, I prefer Dick's to Hooter's"

Jason's eyebrows shot up. He knew of Dicks Wings. Liked the food there, actually. It was a newer franchise that was slowly building popularity in the southeast of the country. He and his sister had eaten there when he took her to Bike Week in Daytona last year.

But the connotation of the comment, and the restaurant's famous shirt, wasn't lost on him. "You do huh? What do you like the most about them?" He teased, her insult long forgotten.

"Oh, well…how big and juicy they are and the way they taste in my mouth." She winked and then moved off of the stool.

Jason's own manhood jumped at her comment and suddenly all he could think about was his dick in her mouth. He was stunned silent, chewing on her words and her obvious teasing and the way it made him feel, physically and emotionally. He was the most relaxed he'd been since touching down in New Orleans. And it was all because of her.

"Well, like I said, I've got lots of work to do." She picked up her clip board and turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait…where are you going?" He asked, snaking his arm out to stop her forward motion and using his other hand to grab onto her arm to turn her to face him.

"Like I said, Milo and I have a lot of footage to go over."

"But I thought…" He stopped, suddenly realizing. He thought she wanted to get to know him but it wasn't really _her _that wanted to get to know him. It was the producer in her that wanted him to open up so she could make a TV show out of it.

"Thought what?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said and dropped his arms.

Realizing he had the same war in his eyes he was battling earlier, she again decided another tactic may just work. "Look, I know you're a private man. I respect that. You know I have a job to do and hopefully you'll respect that."

His nod was all she received to know he was listening. His face, solid stone.

"How about this…you and I go for a drive and I show you my favorite thing I've found since being in New Orleans. We talk about…anything…whatever you want. It doesn't have to have anything to do with you or the show or…anything. But if after getting to know me a little better, you think maybe you could trust me to know a little about you, reveal a little about you to the world and trust that I won't go too far with the information, then we set up a scripted conversation with you and Mac."

She looked up into his blue eyes, hopeful that this tactic might work.

"Will you be bringing your cameraman?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nope, just you and me and the wind"

"The wind huh?"

"Yep, my favorite thing." She smiled up at him, a little sparkle he wanted to know about in her eyes.

"The wind." He whispered.

"So it's a deal?" She quickly stuck out her hand. He seemed like the type to shake on it and then hold to his word on a handshake alone. "You and me, after we rap today?"

He looked down at her delicate little hands. So soft and tiny. Perfectly manicured with two little rings. He pulled his hand up and grasped hers. An electricity shot through the both of them sending an awareness of the other that each of them felt throughout their bodies. His eyebrow raised and a small smile curved the corners of his mouth.

"Deal"

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

Emily Bowen Morgan stood in the doorway to Ward House, the sun glaring into the darkened building from behind her making her hair glow an ethereal red. Her white linen dress made her look like an angel descending down from heaven as she stepped through the doorway.

Cat calls and whistles started immediately by patrons and production staff of Jasper Productions as soon as the door shut. Her long auburn hair was cascading over her shoulders and her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked around for a familiar face.

Johnny's was the first she recognized and she smiled a genuine smile, happy to see him.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" He asked as he set his beer bottle down on the table next to him and set his pool cue up against the wall.

"I'm here to pick up my Nobel peace prize O'Brien, what do you think I'm doing here?" She rolled her eyes at her oldest brother's friend. Over the years she'd come to know him well and though he was a bit of a rake and always looking for trouble, he was always such a perfect gentleman to her.

Immediately Johnny pulled the two bags from her shoulder and grabbed onto the rolling luggage she had behind her. He quickly placed it over in a corner where it would be safe, behind a potted plant and then grabbed her and tugged her into him for a proper hug. After a moment of tight squeezes and whispers of how much they'd missed seeing each other, they separated and immediately Emily was pulled in by Francis who'd seen her come in through the door when he was exiting the restroom.

After another brotherly hug Emily pushed the boys out of her sightline and craning her head asked, "Where's Jase and AJ?"

"Did your brothers know you were coming?" Francis asked looking over at Johnny puzzled that Jason hadn't mentioned it.

One woman they could always count on Jason talking about was Emily.

"No, I suddenly had a few days off and decided I'd come see my big brothers." She smiled and then pointed. "Is that AJ in the kitchen?"

"Uh…yes, he's been there most of the day." Johnny answered. "I think he's going to finally learn how to cook something that doesn't make the guys on the boat want to use him as bait."

Emily smiled up at Johnny. "He may not be a good cook but he's loved on that boat."

"Of course he is sweetheart." Francis answered. It was an odd statement from Emily, not that she didn't always admire and see only the best from her brothers but usually she was a little more crass and joking about AJ and Jason with their friends. Surely, she's still stinging pretty hard from the loss of her father and then neither of her brothers come home after the season ended. "So you came down to surprise them?"

"Uh…Mom kind of…well" her eyes started to well up with tears and immediately Francis pulled her into a bear hug while Johnny lightly grazed her back up and down with his fingertips.

"You know what, Jason and AJ are going to be so happy to see you. They hated that they had to come here for a few weeks instead of going straight home." Johnny said, continuing his soothing strokes.

"Wh…where's Jason?" She asked, her voice meek and broken.

"Come on…" Johnny tugged her out of Francis' embrace and pulled her toward the far end of the room near the bar. "Jason's right over here…uhhh…watching how they do the show."

Truth be told, ever since Elizabeth left Jason's side, Jason's eyes hadn't strayed from her once. Francis and Johnny had tried to get out of him what the conversation and the handshake had been about but Jason just said, "She's just doing her job." And left it at that.

Max and Milo had filled them in on Elizabeth a little and when Diane came over, they all concluded that whatever it was she said to him, it worked because the rest of the day, if she needed something from Jason, she got it without his usual grumbling self. Other interviews had happened and a show with the other Captains that had starred the prior seasons had been taped and Jason sat there, completely fixated on anything Elizabeth did.

Milo came to the group, who were all playing pool while awaiting their time to sit at the table or the area of the bar being filmed. He informed them that she was going to take Jason for a little drive to see if just taking in the sights and talking, just the two of them, might open him up more.

Diane just purred and remarked again that there was a whole lot better reality show playing between those two.

Pulling Emily directly behind him knowing his big bulking body would hide her, Johnny moved to stand just beside Jason and cleared his throat. When that didn't peel the mans eyes from the brunette pixie across the room, Johnny reached up and pushed Jason in his bicep hard enough to make him stumble and nearly topple off his barstool.

"What the fuck man?" Jason asked immediately righting himself and then looking around the room, stopping again on Elizabeth after seeing that no one was paying attention to him or the buffoon next to him.

"I have a surprise for you." Johnny said, smiling wide.

"I don't want your kind of surprise, it usually lands us in jail and I'm paying everyone's bail money." Jason brought his beer up to his lips, glancing to his side to see the goofy grin on Johnny's face.

That piqued his curiosity so he turned fully to Johnny, setting his beer between his legs. It was at that point that he saw wisps of long beautiful hair flowing around Johnny and he squinted, prompting Johnny to move to his right and reveal the young woman hiding behind him.

Immediately Jason's eyes widened and a huge grin broke across his worn cheeks. He jumped up, shoving his beer in Johnny's hands and immediately scooped his little sister up into his arms and twirled her around, kissing her all over her face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, still twirling her.

She was grabbing the back of her skirt and Johnny and Francis tried to block any view because it HAD ridden up the back of her legs with her brother's arms holding her tight.

Finally, she struggled to breathe with the tight hold he had and said, "Jason, put me down, my skirt…I think people can see my butt."

Jason immediately put her down and grabbed her dress pulling it down so hard it made her knees buckle a little. Johnny and Francis stepped out of the way and of all people it was Dillon and his camera that caught Jason's eye.

"What are you filming?" Jason immediately grabbed onto the camera and shoved its lens away from his sister.

Then turning he noticed a few other men looking at his baby sister, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" His face took on the look of pure malice and all of the people within his sightline immediately turned and looked at anything other than him or his sister.

"Jase calm down you Neanderthal." She squeezed his bicep. "Jeez, you act like I'm still thirteen."

Suddenly, she was picked up and twirled around the room again, immediately realizing that all this motion was making her dizzy and her mediocre lunch she had on the flight churn in her stomach.

"Beanbag, what in the world are you doing here?" AJ asked as he set her down on her heeled sandals and then steadied her when he noticed her eyes were crossing and her face was a bit green.

"She's here to get her Nobel Peace Prize, DUH!" Johnny interjected, causing a curious look from all four men but then a burst of laughter exploded from Emily and all the men quickly smiled.

"How's it going Slimeball?" Emily punched AJ in the arm as she folded herself under her other brothers wing for protection.

AJ looked at his little sister and then up at Jason, "How come she doesn't have a crappy nick name for you too?"

"Because I don't have a crappy nick name for her." Jason said matter of factly.

"What beanbag?" He asked, true shock blooming across his face. "What's wrong with Beanbag?"

"I'm a grown woman and you should not be calling me a name like that anymore. Besides, I've always liked what Dad and Jase call me better."

"Oh yeah, Beautiful or Princess or Sweetheart or…" AJ rolled his eyes.

"Well it's better than _BEANBAG_!" She replied, punching her brother again and retreating to the safety of her oldest brother.

It was a game she'd played for years. She and AJ were always together so when Jason would come to visit, she would be able to get back at her older brother for all the torture he'd bestowed upon her for months at a time when her Dad and her oldest brother weren't there to protect her.

"What about Sprout?" Francis asked, his favorite nick name for her over the years.

"Well, only from you and ONLY in present company exclusively. I AM twenty-five you know. I'm a woman now so sprout isn't exactly what I want you to call me around others."

"OH she's a _woman_ now." AJ said and reached behind his brother to swat his sister's head.

Unfortunately, he also caught his brother's ear and immediately his eyes widened in fear.

"Someone has forgotten that I hold his balls in my hand on _The Susan Moore_ and his Daddy isn't around to protect him anymore." Jason threatened.

Immediately he regretted his words when he heard his sister's quick intake of breath and the fall of his brother's jovial face.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He immediately responded tightening his hold around his sister's shoulders and kissing the top of her head while pulling his brother in to him in a brotherly embrace.

Francis saw that he needed to change the subject so he asked, "So how long are you here Emily?"

"From the looks of the amount of luggage, she's moving here permanently." Johnny interjected and pointed to the large rolling case and the large dufflebag along with another travel bag that no doubt housed her purse and her laptop amongst magazines and such she carried onto the plane with her.

All four sets of eyes looked over at the luggage and then at Emily.

"What, that's just for a couple of days. I figure if I stay longer, I'll just have to use a little retail therapy to brighten my mood."

At that, the sound or intruders came through the tight group. "Did I hear mention of some retail therapy?"

All eyes turned and saw an attractive woman with shoulder length brown hair. She was in her mid to late forties and had on a grey skirted business suit. Her blouse underneath was a brilliant blue that brought a hint of hazel out of her deep brown eyes. She wasn't short but in her smart, three inch pumps she was still probably only five foot nine or ten. She moved in next to Francis and looked around the group.

"Hi, I'm Alexis Davis." She stuck her hand out and immediately shoved it toward the younger girl.

"Hi, I'm Emily Morgan."

"Morgan, as in Captain Alan's daughter?" She asked.

"Yes, that's me." Her eyes smiled but also held a little sadness that the attorney picked up on immediately.

"Well, I know this town looks like there's simply NOTHING here to find but I'll tell you, I've found some fabulous shopping here. I'd be glad to go with you and give the old credit cards a good work out."

"And you can count me in on that exercise program. It's my favorite kind of workout." Diane and Max walked up and Diane commented then snuggled into Max and demurely looked up at him then back at the group, "Well, SECOND favorite kind of workout."

Everyone laughed except for Jason. Suddenly, there were too many people he didn't know hanging around. He'd noticed Max and Diane playing pool with Johnny and Francis but…well, selfishly he kind of wanted his sister all to himself.

"We need to get you a room…as a matter of fact," Jason looked over at AJ. "Why don't we rent a house on the beach for the week? That way the three of us can hang out together."

Everyone quieted. Jason had just changed the subject and completely excluded the majority of the group.

Johnny being his usual self said, "Wait…what about us Jason?"

Jason looked at his friend, "What about you?"

"Why don't you just get Emily a room at the Marriot with us?" Johnny said.

"Because maybe AJ and I want to spend some family time with Emily." Jason said, aggravated they were discussing this in front of strangers. Strangers that wanted to put their whole lives on display to the world at that.

"Wow Jase, a lot of these guys around here ARE our family." AJ interjected.

"Yeah, I love Emily like a little sister." Francis included.

Jason looked off to the right but then became enraged to see a few cameras now focused in on their discussion. Production had stopped and the new arrival of his little sister seemed to be the focus of four different cameras filming their little exchange.

Suddenly, Captain Hook felt the rage well in him and Dillon recognized it immediately and shut his camera off and lowered it from his shoulder.

Jason then felt his sister tense and move from his embrace and when he looked down at her, he couldn't stand the look on her face. He hated when she saw him like this. He was always soft and tender with her. Gentle and always kept his rage in check but now, with these cameras intruding, he was in a rage.

He kicked the stool from behind him to allow him access to move from the group. It skidded across the floor a foot and then toppled over, making a loud noise and causing an audible gasp from the patrons in the restaurant. He stalked across the floor with heavy steps. His blood was boiling and pushing him faster toward the exit. Finally nearing the exit, a cameraman he recognized as being the one who filmed on Bill Eckerts boat stood in front of him walking backward.

This dumbass was going to film him leaving and follow him outside.

Jason quickly grabbed the man by his collar and shoved him into the potted plant.

All eyes watched as he disappeared out the door with a slam.

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

"So I guess we probably aren't going to go see the Wind today huh?" Elizabeth finally spoke after probably ten minutes of just sitting in silence.

After the big display at Ward House, Elizabeth quickly had Milo gather everyone's film. She and Milo would go through the footage and decide what got included in the show. Obviously, privacy was a key to Jason and she didn't want to break his trust at this stage of the game.

Once all of the disks were procured, she walked up to Emily and introduced herself. She explained that because she hadn't signed a release form for _this _show, they could not use any of it that included her without her written consent. Diane started to interject but then realized that extra's releases were specific to the shows. It was something that protected the under fives and extra's from being used without being paid for other shots or shows.

Emily smiled and thanked her then apologized for her brother's behavior.

"He…he has a hard time with…well…he's a very private person. He's really not like that once you get to know him."

"For some reason, I got that feeling about him the moment I met him." Elizabeth smiled. "He's a tough nut to crack but once you do…he's the best person you know, right?"

"Exactly. And…I know he may not act like it but…" her eyes welled up with tears and AJ tightened his hold on her a little more, his own eyes going glassy. "He…he's trying so hard to be strong for me and AJ but…Daddy…"

"It's okay, we all grieve in different ways. Your father was a special man. There's no way anyone who knew him, if only for a moment, wasn't changed by him. From what I've gathered, Jason…well…I'm sure he's grieving in his own way."

"I just wish he'd open up, you know?" Emily said.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I overheard a little of what Jason was upset about. I called the Marriott and if it's okay with you guys, the penthouse suite has been freed up for you three. It's a two bedroom suite with a living room and kitchen. The living room has a queen sized fold out couch and one of the bedrooms has a king sized bed and the other has two queens. I arranged for the three of you to stay there. That way you are still at the hotel with everyone else but the three of you can have some privacy to be with each other but not crowded."

"Oh that was so nice of you." Emily exclaimed, impulsively pulling Elizabeth in for a hug.

AJ interjected, "we should go find Jason." He said to his sister.

"Ummm…do you think you'd mind if maybe I did for now?" Elizabeth said. "I…I know it's not my place but I think his biggest issue is the invasion of his privacy with this show and I want to be the one to assure him that we…I won't use any of it that he doesn't approve of."

AJ looked at his sister skeptically but knew that the brunette producer had transfixed his brother before his sister's arrival and figured that in all honesty, she just might be the one to soothe Jason's ruffled feathers.

He gave a curt nod and Elizabeth took off out the door. Milo raced to catch her but she insisted that he not come with her and that none of it was filmed. Milo was disappointed but also trusted Elizabeth completely.

It didn't take long for Elizabeth to find Jason, a few blocks away sitting on a bench on the docks looking out at the ocean. She walked up slowly, not wanting to startle him or disturb his peaceful contemplation. She slowly walked in front of him and sat at the other end of the bench.

Quietly they both watched as the sun went down over the water.

It was a beautiful sunset. The sky turning the colors of the rainbow. The brightest oranges and purples streaking across the sky and settling over the water. It was tranquil and serene and the artist in Elizabeth wanted to paint it. She studied how the light shimmered over the water and how the sun blazed downward until it became nothing but a yellow glow above the surface of the water. She burned the images in her mind to retrieve later when she had a clean white canvas before her.

Once the sun went down, she figured they'd been silent enough to know she respected his moments of peace. She spoke about the Wind and his only response was a turn of his head toward her.

She kept her head straight forward and continued to stare at the water lapping against the dock.

"This is nice too. Produces a similar result."

She waited a few beats and was becoming discouraged, thinking he didn't want to talk and she was wasting her time. She braced her hands on the edge of the bench, ready to push herself up and apologize for interrupting him when she heard him.

"Result?" he barely spoke and had the wind not blown, the sound probably would not have reached her ears.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and leaned back, resting her hands back into her lap. She thought a moment and then turned, lifting one leg to rest on the bench, bent and tucked slightly under her and stretching her arm across the back of it, still unable to touch the man at the other end.

"Peace, tranquility, exhilaration, passion…"

He looked up at the last word. His eyes captured hers and held them for a few moments.

Suddenly nervous she started to ramble. "I'm sure that sound silly to you. You probably don't even want me here. I should go. I know you are a private person and I didn't even ask but the sun over the water…You know, the colors are so vivid and they speak to you. I'm an artist. I guess I look at everything through an artist's eye so something like a simple sunset speaks to me."

"What does it say?" He asked, curious to hear her explanation.

"Oh it says a lot of things. Uhhh…" suddenly she was stunned silent. He was staring her in the eyes but would look at her mouth and then lick his lips and then his eyes would flicker back up to her face.

"Passion?" Jason offered. The word was stuck in his mind since she'd said it.

"Oh yes, and beauty and…serenity." She said and turned her head to look at the water again. Her stomach was on fire from the way he was staring at her and she knew she would burst into flames if she watched him stare at her any longer.

When she turned, he did too and they both looked out on the water again. After a few minutes of comfortable silence he decided to speak.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your show."

"What?...Oh no…you didn't ruin anything. We were done for the day mostly anyway."

"Good" was his only reply.

"I um…I met your sister." She turned to look at him and was satisfied it was okay to continue when he didn't bristle "She's…she loves you a lot."

"She's the best sister a man could ever wish for." He replied.

"She feels the same about you." Elizabeth countered.

"She's so innocent." He supplied.

"She seemed pretty strong and intelligent and…sweet." Elizabeth answered.

Jason looked at her then. "She is."

"I…I hope you don't mind but I…I kind of…" she covered her face with her hands "I…you're going to be mad at me anyway so I might as well just say it and leave you to your solitude."

"Say what?" he wondered worried why she would have to tell him something that would make him mad.

"I kind of" she rolled her eyes as she lowered her hands. "I called the Marriott where you guys are booked and got the penthouse suite for you and your brother and sister. It's…the bellhops are readying it now and…it has two bedrooms and a living room and a kitchen."

She couldn't stop talking because when she did he'd probably bite her head off and tell her to mind her own business so she needed to say what she had to say now. Because she may have to run when she was finished.

"I also scheduled for your sister to have a spa day while you guys are taping tomorrow. That way she won't be bored all day. And I had Milo take all the film from when your sister arrived to when I left and lock it in my Winnebago so I could go through it. We can't use any of it that has shots of your sister without her signing a consent. Since I told her about that before Diane or Alexis got to her, all of that footage isn't useable unless she approves it."

She stood and straightened her top, pulling it down but not before Jason caught a glimpse of her toned stomach peeking above her shorts. She nervously moved back and forth switching from one heeled foot to the other. Once her blouse was in place and her shorts smoothed out, she wrung her hands.

"So…I just wanted you to know that." She looked over her shoulder and realized there really wasn't anything more keeping her here. "So, you and your sister and brother can have some privacy but still stay with everyone else and none of the stuff filmed with you and your sister will see the light of day unless Emily and you and I approve it so…no harm no foul."

She shrugged and turned, "Have a nice night" she said as she started to walk across the dock away from Jason toward the few stairs that led up to the street.

She made it up the stairs and a few paces away when suddenly she felt him before she saw or heard him.

"I'll walk you to the restaurant. It's dark out now and you probably shouldn't be out here by yourself. It probably gets pretty dangerous."

She knew it was partially true but also his excuse to go back with her. She smiled and craned her head up to look at him. He was at least a head taller than her in her heels so without them he was at least a foot taller. His large frame morphed her petite one. She was sure that if someone out here wanted to harm her, they wouldn't even consider it with him next to her.

"I bet I'm the safest person out here with you next to me."

He laughed and that brought a huge smile to her face. "Oh, you think that's funny?"

"Well for some reason I feel the same. You are doing quite a job trying to convince me that I'm safe with you too."

"Well, emotionally, you are."

"Why is that?"

"Because I can see that it's the biggest issue with you. Trust is something you don't take lightly and doesn't come easily for you."

"It wasn't always like that."

"It's been like that all my life."

"You seem to trust pretty easily" he said as they turned the corner to head down the street toward Ward House.

"No, I'm good at reading people so I can determine instantly who I can trust. There's a difference."

"And you can trust me?" He asked, reaching out and pulling her toward him with his hand on her waist when two men who looked to have imbibed in a little too much alcohol were stumbling toward them.

"It's your eyes." She said unequivocally.

She felt herself shiver when he pulled her to him. She knew it was simply a gesture to protect a female from two drunk men but it felt almost like a man staking his claim to her. As soon as his fingers touched her side she felt the same electricity run through her that she'd felt before with him.

Jason knew he should drop his hand but he felt the shiver that hit her and the heat that pooled between them. She felt good in his space. It felt like he was walking with a woman who he'd known all his life. And she trusted him and wanted his trust but mostly understood how important trust was to him. It was a good feeling. One he hadn't felt in such a long time.

As they neared the Ward House, Jason reluctantly dropped his hand. He'd never moved it from just above her hip with a light grip but she hadn't moved it for him either. But now, the film crew and some of the boat crews were coming into view. He could see Diane and Max standing with Johnny and Francis and the blonde smart ass that got in his face and the other lawyer that offered to take Emily shopping.

"So, I guess the limo is waiting to take you to your hotel." Elizabeth noted, pointing toward the one he'd arrived in and smiling at Emily who was waiting with AJ beside it.

"Yeah, thanks for the suite. You didn't have to do that." He said, realizing that she once again came up with a compromise much like the beer that satisfied him and everyone else. "What are you going to do?"

She looked up at him, "actually, I think I'll keep my plans." She stopped in between two cars and pulled out a set of keys.

"Oh, so you're still going out to this wind place?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I think I will."

He took the keys from her hands and turned to the little red sports car, puzzled when the key didn't look like the right kind.

"That's not mine."

"It's not?" He looked up puzzled.

"Oh heavens no, that sissy car is Milo's. He's such a girl sometimes. Max and I tease him mercilessly but he insists it _gets him the chicks_ " she finished using the finger quotes.

"Well then which one is yours?" he turned and there were only three other options, a sedan, a mini van and a convertible jeep.

She reached up and put her hands over his and hit the button, making the jeep's alarm beep. It was painted solid black and had leopard print seat covers. The top was already rolled off and the doors removed.

A huge smile covered Jason's face. "Where exactly is this place The Wind?"

She grabbed her keys and jumped up over the frame of the jeep, quickly firing up the engine and revving it.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she backed up out of the space and smiled as she watched him in her rearview mirror watching her drive away.

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

"Did you get it?" the guy said, watching Elizabeth drive off as Captain Hook stood vigilantly watching her hair blow in the wind.

"Got all of it. Some of the sound may not have come through but I got all of it." Zander responded.

"Do you think they saw you?" the older man asked.

"Nope, I used the long distance camera and microphone. We'll have to close caption some of the words but…I think this may be what you need to put you back on top."

Scotty Baldwin smiled as he watched the new star of his as of yet untitled new reality show walk to the limo where his brother and sister awaited him.


	6. Chapter 5

Title: Hook's Perfect Storm

Chapter: 5

Date Posted: 10/27/2010

Story Rated: M overall

Archive: Yes

Disclaimer: ABC and Discovery, GH and Deadliest Catch are owners of characters and themes and plot points in this story. I'm simply giving my take on it.

Authors Note: This one is for ghlover1978…ha ha you gave me the idea! Thanks for all of your support!

**Chapter 5**

Four months passed by quickly. The summer was busy because her show had really made a big splash. Not only was the show she'd taken over steadily climbing up in the ratings but the angle of the Quartermaines and the alter ego of Eddie Maine was something that had now become MUST SEE TV. Also, the show _The Captains Table_ had taken the second highest ratings on the cable channel because it was being shown after Deadly Encounters.

Jasper Jax was very pleased with the work Elizabeth and Milo had done in post production and when the ratings proved it successful, he signed a contract with the two for three more seasons and promised them more episodes and the permanent slot behind Deadly Encounters on Tuesday nights. It was the perfect time slot to continue with the high ratings and now she had her own staff, Maxie included, to work with.

Currently she, Maxie and Milo were landing in the smallest plane she'd ever flown in. It only had two seats other than the pilot and she looked out the window envying the people on the plane next to hers that was still small but twice the size of the one she was on.

Flying into Alaska had been completely nerve wracking. First, Maxie refused to sit up front and insisted that Milo sit with her and hold her hand. Elizabeth didn't want to sit up front but had no choice once Maxie started pitching a fit. She'd figured it was Maxie's over the top personality but half way through the flight she realized it was most likely Maxie's fear of dying. And honestly, Elizabeth decided it was for the best she wasn't sitting back there with the girl. Milo's arms were nearly ready to bleed because Maxie had such a death grip on him.

When they touched down and taxied to a stop, Maxie suddenly became the same opinionated, strong assistant she knew and Milo and Elizabeth shared a knowing glance with each other. They now had something on Maxie. Finally.

As soon as the door to the plane opened, the wind and cold attacked Elizabeth's senses. She buttoned up her red pea coat and smoothed out her crème colored silk slacks. Regardless, the cold attacked her senses and she immediately commented to Milo that this kind of cold was nothing like Colorado. This took freezing to a whole other level.

A short taxi ride to the motel that the crew had taken over had Elizabeth in awe of her surroundings.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered.

"Well, all I know is that you and I need to really focus on moisturizing if we don't want to look like old hags in our early thirties." Maxie replied, pulling out a high dollar lip balm and then offering it to Elizabeth after she'd used it.

Elizabeth shook her head no but mentally noted that she did need to follow the blond's advice. She could feel her skin already pulling tight in the ten minutes it took to get from the plane into the cab.

"The first thing I want to do is get our stuff settled in the motel and go get a car. I don't want to be at the mercy of the rest of the crew to get around." Milo announced. "I'm gonna go find me an Eskimo to rub noses with tonight. That ought to take the chill off of my bone."

Elizabeth turned to look at Milo and then busted out laughing. Milo was always making forward statements like that to make Elizabeth laugh. He had no shame and as her friend, didn't worry about seeming like a male chauvinist pig. Besides, the two of them were more like a brother and a sister and she knew there would never come a time when he wanted her to do _anything_ with his bone.

Maxie, on the other hand, gasped and punched Milo in the arm feigning offense.

"I think I'm going to get a rental car too. At least for the time being. I want to get out and go around town and try to get some back story on the boats and the crews and really just the industry as a whole." Elizabeth said, looking out on the bay as the taxi curved around it headed for the other side of the city.

It was truly breathtaking. Snow was already on the ground, boats were in the harbor and the sun was shining bright. The mountains surrounding the area were mostly covered with snow but houses stood out on the sides of the mountains, smoke billowing from chimney's and making such a Thomas Kincaide picturesque scene.

It made Elizabeth itch to paint it all.

Soon they pulled into the motel which was nestled into the base of one of the many mountains surrounding the port. It was three stories and had twenty five rooms. There was a small diner attached to it named Kelly's that seemed to be a pretty popular place.

Elizabeth's room was on the second floor. She tried to get a room adjoining Milo's but the manager said that Patrick had insisted she be in the room next to his. Elizabeth and Milo both rolled their eyes when the manager implied Patrick's intentions were because of the amount of work they would be doing. Both knew it was because the man wanted to allow any opportunity for him to hook up with her in a more biblical sense.

The entire two weeks they had been filming in New Orleans, it was all Elizabeth could do to keep the man away from her. He hadn't been touchy but that was because Jax, Diane, Alexis and nearly the entire corporate office of the cable channel were there. The "no fraternization" policy wasn't strictly adhered to, obviously since Max and Diane's relationship so prevalent. However, Max and Diane were not either of the others boss and Patrick being the head producer of the parent show would be considered to be Elizabeth's superior.

One thing Patrick frowned on was excessive fraternization between cast and crew and even too much emotional attachment between the crew itself. It's one of the reasons why Patrick sent Lucky home on day four after catching Lucky following Elizabeth to her Winnebago one too many times.

Another reason why Elizabeth was placed on the second floor with him. Lucky was on the first floor with the other cameramen.

However, in all of Patrick's rules and requirements, he didn't feel that same policy should extend to any potential romance between him and Elizabeth. He even mentioned to Mac that he felt there wasn't any impropriety there because the shows, though sharing the same cast, was filmed independently and now that the first season had been taped to his satisfaction, he was certain Elizabeth would handle and produce the show just fine without much input from him in the future.

Milo wanted Elizabeth to immediately mention it to Alexis or Jax as soon as Maxie told them what her dad had revealed but Elizabeth nixed that idea. She didn't want to rock the boat and assured Milo that she could handle the likes of Patrick Drake. His harmless advances could be easily rebuffed and besides, aside from a few weeks out of the year, she didn't even have to see him.

"Hey" Elizabeth was startled when the man popped his head out his door as soon as she'd walked by.

If she didn't know any better she'd think he was watching for her through the peephole. But logic told her that the concierge had been told to ring him as soon as she arrived and he simply heard her shuffling down the hall with all of her luggage or heard the elevator doors open since his room was right next to them.

"Hi" Elizabeth said as she fumbled with her plastic credit card key.

"Here, let me." He said pulling the plastic card from her hand along with lifting the heavy carry on bag from her shoulder. "You should have had a bell hop bring your luggage up."

He looked back at her while sliding the key into the slot. "Or at the very least Milo should have been a gentleman and helped you."

He opened the door and held it open, standing in place so that Elizabeth had to move past him into her room. She cringed when she heard him take a deep breath as she walked by, rolling her large piece through behind her. His audible moan was all it took to make her hair on her arms stand on end.

"Thank you for your help" she smiled sweetly at the man who honestly would be someone she'd consider dating if he weren't someone she worked with and weren't so completely obvious. Besides, she'd heard his reputation and didn't really want any part of being another notch on the Drake bedpost.

"Oh, no problem. That's what I'm here for." He leaned forward placing the key card down, nearly chest to chest with her as she was trapped between him and the dresser.

This guy was really trying hard.

"So, I guess you have work to do, I don't want to keep you." She slid between Patrick and the dresser, making her way toward the door when she noticed the gift basket on the table near the window. "Oh how nice."

"I had that sent to your room. I thought maybe you and I could try out that cheese and wine later after we go down to the docks so I can show you around. We'll have dinner at Jakes where everyone in the town hangs out and then maybe we can discuss next season over a glass of wine and relax."

Patrick walked up behind her, looking up and smiling at the image of her petite body standing in front of him in the mirror with her bed behind them. His smirk told her that he was thinking of them in a similar position on the bed later, after the wine.

"Uh…I was planning to go out on my own. Get a feel for the city and find different angles for my show."

"Oh but I already have our day planned. Actually our whole week and weekend." He replied following her as she skitted around the room trying to put space between them.

"I'm sorry if I'm screwing up your plans but really, I like to work out ideas and do my own research. Besides, I won't even be here this weekend." Before he could protest or even ask questions, she opened the door to the room and thankfully Mac was walking by. "But definitely I think we should all go to this place Jakes tonight. From what Milo said, a couple of the boats are pulling in today to prep for the King Crab season and hopefully you'll get some really great footage and I'll get to know the crews a little better for _The Captain's Table_. But for now, I just want to get into a warm shower because ever since touching down, I am freezing through to my bones. But thank you for the basket. I'm sure I'll love it."

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

Jake's was alive for a Wednesday night. Many of the crab fishermen were filling up the establishment. With three weeks before the opening of King Crab season, many of the boats had come in to the harbor from where they normally docked to do final preparations.

Jason looked around, watching the patrons down shots and joke around. The pool table had been full since he'd walked in with Johnny and all of the dart boards were being used. Every seat at the bar was occupied and he noticed Jake had extra staff on hand, anticipating the large crowd.

"Another beer Jase?" Courtney asked as she set a fresh bowl of peanuts in front of him at his favorite booth in the corner.

He looked up and smiled at the blond. "Sure, thanks"

His gaze followed her as she turned to walk away and then intentionally bend over to pick up a cardboard coaster off the floor. Her shirt rode up and her jean shorts pulled over her ass and Jason's eyes focused in on a new tramp stamp peeking out of the shorts. His eyebrow quirked at her when she turned around and a pretty blush stole across her face knowing he'd seen the new body art and hoping his look meant he wanted a closer inspection of it tonight.

A loud noise from across the bar pulled his attention away and he rolled his eyes when he watched as Johnny rushed over to the blond that had just entered the bar and picked her up announcing to everyone that she was his future ex wife. Jason nearly choked on the his beer when Mac then stepped up, pulled his daughter out of Johnny's arms, put her behind him and whatever was said, caused Johnny to flinch and noticeably protect his crotch with both hands.

He watched for a moment, laughing to himself at Johnny's antics going awry until suddenly his breath stole from his lungs and it seemed as if the room suddenly stopped and faded away.

Elizabeth Webber walked in the door looking like an angel sent down from heaven. She had on a white knitted beret with matching scarf. Her wool coat and pants were a little darker white and she had a caramel colored turtleneck underneath that matched her knee high, heeled boots. Her lips were candy apple red, her eyes smoky an sexy and her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold outside.

He watched her for a few moments, not noticing when Courtney placed a fresh beer in front of him. Elizabeth looked around the bar, taking in the feel of the room and the people who filled it. She laughed at something that her cameraman, Milo, whispered to her and then started taking off her scarf and coat and handing it over to the man.

He frowned along with her when Lucky came up to her wanting her to take his seat at the bar and join him. She shook her head no and Jason silently thanked Milo when the man pushed himself between the two ex lovers and backed Lucky up and away from her.

Jason remained in his seat as he watched Elizabeth talk to the crew that she knew and some of the cast. She blushed when Lorenzo Alcazar made a big over exaggerant play for her, bowing deep and kissing her hand. Then Cody brought over some of the other boat captains that weren't on the show to meet her. She looked genuinely interested in whatever they were telling her and even pulled Milo over to meet them and talk.

He didn't think much of it when Johnny walked up and handed her a glass that looked to probably be a rum and coke or something similar. He then handed over a pink concoction to Maxie and a beer to Milo.

Johnny, when they were in New Orleans, accomplished exactly what he'd set out to do. It took him three days longer than he expected but that was mostly because Emily showing up shoved back all of their plans. Jason caught Maxie sneaking out of Johnny's hotel room the same night that he was tiptoeing back home after a great night spent with Elizabeth showing him exactly what The Wind was.

He smiled and shook his head at that thought.

He'd expected The Wind to be some bar or restaurant somewhere on the bayou but it turned out it was simply the rush of driving fast along the coastal road with the sun going down. It was the best night of his life and he'd sat in Elizabeth's jeep at the docks looking out over the water until midnight just talking.

He'd come to learn that she had a brother and a sister. Didn't care much for her parents but didn't hate them as much as she was simply disappointed that there wasn't a relationship nor did she ever expect there to be. She told him about Lucky being her first love but that he'd changed and so had she and as adults, she just didn't love him that way anymore.

She talked about school and art and her desires and dreams in her life. She originally wanted to be a famous artist but realized in college that she could still live out those dreams but just differently and that once she accepted the shift in her goals for herself she found that she truly loved the new her.

She also said that was probably what caused the biggest rift between her and Lucky because she became confident and he wanted the scared girl who relied on him.

The thing that struck him later, after lying in bed for hours after he got back to the hotel room was that in the entire time they spent together, she never asked him about his personal life. Sure, he talked a little but mostly just asked her questions here and there and she filled hours upon hours of their time talking about herself. She was only quiet when she was driving while the sun was going down. Only the occasional ohhh and ahhh would come from her mouth when a particularly breathtaking scene gave way round a building or corner.

With the top of the jeep off and her driving pretty fast, he discovered exactly what she meant by The Wind and then when the sun finally set, she described it again in technicolored language. Her description of what they'd both just witnessed being exactly how she'd described it three days prior. Peace, tranquility, exhilaration and passion were all accurate descriptions of the ride around the bayou along the coast. Beauty and serenity was what he felt as he listened to her melodic voice recapture the whole scene for him as if he hadn't been there.

And for the past four months he'd thought of that night each and every day.

"Hey Jason." Patrick Drake was now standing in front of him but he didn't notice him.

Patrick followed Jason's gaze toward the door where Elizabeth still hadn't fully moved from and then looked back at the formidable boat captain, "**Earth to Jason Morgan**"

Patrick's raised voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to find the producer standing there with his draft beer in his hand waiting for the cantankerous captain to offer him the open bench across from him. When Jason didn't, he simply sighed and took the seat without the offering.

"So are you ready to get this season started?" Patrick asked, fidgeting with his beer handle.

Still nothing from the crabby crabber across from him.

"Dillon is on the boat again and I hear you've hired a new deckhand for _The Susan Moore_" Patrick waited for a response and then added, "What's the new guys name?"

Jason took a pull from his beer and popped a peanut out of its shell flipping it into his mouth without tearing his eyes from the door.

"Elizabeth and I are going to be talking shop tonight when we get back to our hotel room and I figured maybe I'd get a feel for who the new cast members on the boats are so I could give her something to work with." Patrick smiled in satisfaction when suddenly the bluest eyes he'd ever seen were fiercely focusing in on him. So what if he gave the wrong impression with the use of the words 'our hotel room'. It served two purposes, it got Jason's attention and it let Jason know that Elizabeth was off limits.

Two things that Patrick Drake definitely wanted.

"What was that?" Jason asked, wanting to hear it again and be sure he heard correctly.

"Elizabeth and I…since it's her first night here we've got a great bottle of wine and we'll end the night talking about what she needs to research in the short amount of time she's here. We'll probably be up half the night…" he leaned in and lowered his voice "of course most of that probably won't be spent with us talking."

It wasn't a lie. He knew that IF by chance he convinced Elizabeth to let him into her hotel room to share a little wine and talk shop, she wouldn't let him stay half the night talking. She'd probably get out pen and paper, jot down names and other pertinent information and then shove him quickly out the door like she'd done that afternoon. Then she'd probably be up half the night googling names online and he'd probably be up half the night thinking about her.

But he was still trying. He liked the challenge and had all the time in the world to convince Elizabeth that they could make beautiful…well babies wasn't the word but he certainly wanted to practice HOW to make them. Her naked in his bed would be beautiful but actually HAVING babies was not on his to do list and probably never would be.

Yet, making sure he took out any competition for the beautiful woman's attention was something he had no problem bending the truth to achieve. He'd noticed just like everyone else in New Orleans that there was some kind of ease between Elizabeth and Jason. When Elizabeth was around, suddenly Jason wasn't Captain Hook. She surely was able to get him to cooperate more than anyone on the show and after the night she said she'd talked to him to gain his trust, the man was actually smiling.

He immediately reminded Elizabeth that hooking up with the Captain could cost her the gig but she became extremely upset at the implication that her previous night with Jason Morgan was anything other than professional and time well spent to get him to trust her. At those words, Patrick knew that nothing romantic or sexual happened between the two so he didn't worry about it any further.

Besides, he got to spend the next month compiling footage and taping lead ins and promos with her for both shows as well as speaking to reporters with her about the success of their show, both of their shows, that season.

Of course, it only made sense that he escort her when they attended the public memorial for Captain Alan and the two other promotional appearances at Sturgis and the Labor Day festival in Los Angeles during the County Fair. Both of those two appearances, he made sure that neither Lucky Spencer nor Jason Morgan would be in attendance.

His plan was moving along just fine and hopefully he'd have her in his bed within the week. His time being cut short by her admission that she'd be leaving early Saturday morning for her flight back to her Alma Mater. He didn't want to push her because he was actually enjoying the chase but he was ready to taste her on his lips and so far, he hadn't even gotten as far as a little peck on the cheek much less a little slap and tickle.

"You know I think I'll go check in with her and see when she's ready to go." Patrick ended their conversation, seeing that he'd effectively cut Jason off at the knees. The man hadn't said one word but also hadn't looked back at the beautiful brunette since his implications of _more_ sunk in.

Jason picked at the label on his New Castle Brown Ale bottle as he watched the tall, lanky man stride across the bar and put his arm possessively around Elizabeth. He turned his head and looked out at the snow falling, not wanting to witness the couples chemistry. Unfortunately, what he missed was Elizabeth shrugging off the mans arm immediately and then moving away from him while trying to remain calm and polite and not draw attention to her rebuffing his advances.

"Jason, are you okay? Did you want me to get JoJo to make you a cheeseburger or something?" Courtney asked as she wiped the table free of the peanut mess and picked up his empty beer bottle.

"Yeah sure, tell him to make it to go." Jason looked up at her and smiled. "I think I'll turn in early."

"Oh, did you want any company after my shift?" she asked hopeful that the blond haired blue eyed man had missed her as much as she'd missed him over the summer.

"I…uh…" he glanced over at the group surrounding Elizabeth and suddenly she looked up and their eyes met and held. "No, not tonight. Maybe some other time."

Jason missed the hurt look on Courtney's face, his eyes transfixed on Elizabeth as she slowly moved through the crowd toward him. The waitress turned and left, pouting the whole way to the kitchen to put in Jason's order. Elizabeth walked up and smiled and being a gentleman, Jason stood and gestured with his hand to offer her a seat.

"So how have you been?" Elizabeth asked after thanking him and sitting in the seat across from him.

"I've been good, how about you?" he asked, suddenly feeling the same electricity he'd felt all those months ago in New Orleans.

"I've had a great summer." She beamed, pulling the beret off of her head and rolling her eyes as one crazy curl fell down in her face. "The show was fabulous. You have had a lot of website interest."

Jason watched as she fought with the curl, finally giving up and putting the beret back on her head to trap the errant hair. "I have website interest?" He asked, laughing at her hair troubles.

"Oh yes, everyone wants to know the new captain." She straightened, turning serious. "You haven't been told?"

"Uh…Dillon tried telling me something about the internet this afternoon but I told him to go find something to do." He looked up noticing her brows furrow. "I was really busy testing the radar equipment. I mean...I wasn't...I didn't mean to be...mean."

"That's one of the biggest things, you are so different on the one show compared to on the other show. That's the most talked about issue on our website."

"That's because he's got you producing the one show and it makes him seem much much nicer than he is." Johnny supplied as he pushed Jason over in the seat and slid in beside him.

Elizabeth looked up and slid over when Maxie stood there waiting to be offered her seat. Milo and Zander both came over and pulled up chairs to the booth both sitting in them backward. Milo immediately reached for the bowl of peanuts and Elizabeth pulled a few napkins out of the holder to hand over to the man for his shells.

Suddenly Jason's mood turned because of all of the people surrounding him. He was having a nice conversation with Elizabeth and all of these people, starting with his friend Johnny, had ruined it. The bar erupted when the bell rang and all eyes looked toward the bar.

"What's that all about?" Elizabeth asked, trying to see over the crowd.

"Someone just bought the whole bar a drink." Jason murmured, wondering who the big shot was that was about to shell out three to four hundred dollars. He'd never seen the reason behind buying the entire bar a round. He'd never even flinch if he picked up the tab for his friends and the cost neared a thousand dollars but to buy a drink for every numb nut in the bar, half of which you don't even know, the other half you probably don't like…well that was just stupid.

Patrick moved over toward the table, everyone thanking him on his way and he addressed the group. "Enjoy your drink everyone. I figured I'd start the new season off right."

"Oh thank you Patrick" Milo and Zander both offered.

"Well since you're buying, I think I'll have have another Cosmo and…Do you think this igloo has Stoli Elite vodka?" she looked over at Johnny who shrugged his shoulders.

"Never heard of it" was his reply "But while you're up there you could get me another Michelob Light. Jason, you want another New Castle?"

Before Jason could reply, Patrick interrupted "Elizabeth? Are you about ready to leave? I was thinking we could go back to the room and go over some of the changes this season you need to prepare for. Maybe uncork that wine."

Elizabeth immediately picked up on the connotation of how he made his statement and flushed beet red when all eyes looked at her. "Uh, I'll go to MY room at the hotel and change into some sweats and grab my laptop and we can talk at Kelly's over a hot chocolate and maybe some pancakes."

She looked over at Jason who visibly relaxed at her words and pointed to Maxie to let her out. "But we can share a cab if you want and Milo, maybe you could join us once you enjoy your free drink on THE BOSS."

She stressed the last few words to try to impress upon Patrick that she wanted nothing more than a working relationship with the man.

Johnny being Johnny immediately started to sing the AC/DC song "shot down in flames shot down in flames ain't it a shame to be shot down in flames."

Patrick glanced over at Jason and his face soured at the huge knowing smirk adorning Captain Hook's face.

.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.

It was Saturday morning just after dawn and Jason was coming around the curve headed toward the waterfront when he saw a car in a ditch up ahead. The fairly fresh skid marks in the snow told him that the car had veered off of it's course not long ago. He noticed no one around and looked up the street and then in his rear view mirror to see if anyone was walking.

Pulling his Chevy Avalanche off to the side behind where the Ford Focus was angled into the ditch, he set it in park, turned on his flashing lights and set the emergency brake. He pulled his cell phone from the trucks cup holder and peered through the window, noticing someone was sitting in the drivers seat.

He jumped down out of the cab of the truck and made his way up to the sedan, slowly accessing the situation as he made his way to the drivers door. Rapping on the window with his knuckles, he was surprised to see it was Elizabeth, on her own cell phone, behind the wheel. He immediately pulled open the door and held out his hand to her.

"Here, come on." He said watching as she slowly lowered her phone and dazzled him with a million dollar smile.

"Thank you so much. I was just calling the rental car place. I can't believe I wrecked it." She looked back at the car, not much damage was done but there was sure to be a dent or two on the side where the ditch stopped it.

"Did someone run you off the road?" He asked, looking around for signs there was another car.

"No, no…nothing like that." She looked up at him, her hair pulled back into a smooth pony tail and a powder blue jogging suit with a hood on. "It's rather embarrassing, I must say."

"What, that you wrecked?" he looked into her eyes and frowned "Why would that embarrass you?"

"Oh, I don't know, only because I've been driving in snow all of my life being from Colorado but three days in Alaska and I'm in a ditch." She rolled her eyes shivering from the cold.

"Here" Jason took off his leather jacket and pulled it around her shoulders, holding it closed with one hand while rubbing her arm with the other to produce some heat. "Why don't you go climb up into my truck. It's still running and the heat's on. I'll call Jimmy Lee Holt down at the garage and tell him to come get your car out of the ditch with his tow truck's wench. It probably runs fine and just has a dent or two but I'll wait in case you need a ride somewhere."

"That's the problem, I'm missing my plane now as we speak. I'm supposed to be in Denver at Mile High Stadium by six pm for a seven thirty kick off."

"What?" he lowered his phone and questioningly stared at her.

"I get to do the coin toss and also present the crown to the new Homecoming Queen tonight." She looked back at the car and then down at the time on her phone "But I guess I probably should call them and tell them its highly probable I won't be able to make it. Do you know how often planes fly out of here on Saturdays?"

"Uh no but usually it's only one or twice a day unless there's an emergency." He ushered her over to his truck and then admired her ass as she climbed up into the truck and crawled on her knees across the drivers side to the passenger side of the truck.

Once he called Jimmy he climbed up into the truck himself and shut the door. "Did you get a hold of the rental car company?"

"Yes, they told me I could just leave it here if I wanted to. When I told them you were calling someone to pull it from the ditch the guy said it must be Jimmy Holt and that he'd call him to tell him just to tow it back to the garage." She shrugged. "This town's pretty small so it makes sense everyone knows everyone."

"Yep, pretty much." He looked over at her and watched her scrolling through her phone. "So where are you flying to again?"

"Oh, that's another thing, the next flight leaves at six tonight. I've got to find the number to Dr Franks assistant to let them know they need to replace me at the last minute."

"Dr. Frank?"

"The president of CSU. They set it up for me to do the coin toss and crown Aimee. I can't believe I'm going to miss the Rocky Mountain Showdown."

"Okay so CSU is Colorado State?"

"Yep"

"And you're going to a football game?"

"Yep, only the biggest rivalry in the world and the biggest college football game outside of the bowls."

"Uh…I think there's some Gator fans and Bulldog fans down in Jacksonville, Florida that would argue with that."

"What?"

"The Florida Georgia game…" He looked and saw confusion mar her beautiful features "The Worlds Largest Cocktail Party?"

"Oh, that game?...no this is much much better."

"Really? I mean even ESPN talks about that game every year and it gets nationally televised all over the country. I haven't even heard of this Rocky Mountain Showdown."

Laughing at her apparent offense taken from his comment he challenged, "You think this other rivalry equates?"

"Okay well maybe not but it is the biggest game in Colorado." She granted. "And now I'm going to miss it."

"How did you wind up being able to do the coin toss and crown the queen and all?"

"Oh, I'm a former Miss Colorado State Homecoming Queen myself. I was crowned my junior year. And because my show is so popular and I've just kind of made a name for myself, the University wants to capitalize on promoting me as CSU Alumni." She boasted, clearly proud of her accomplishments and the college she earned her degree from. "But I guess maybe next year."

Her disappointment was clearly evident and all Jason wanted to do was make it better for her.

"You know, maybe you don't have to miss your game after all." He felt his chest swell when the hopefulness in her eyes solidified the fact that he would be her hero. "Let me make a few calls and hopefully we'll be on our way to Denver within the hour."

"We?"

"Uh…yes."

"That's really nice of you to want to help but honestly you don't need to go with me. I won't be driving into any ditches in Colorado. I think it's the Alaskan snow that's different or something."

"No it's probably that piece of shit Ford you rented."

"Oh so I take it you're a Chevy man." She said eyeing the symbol affixed to the handle to the glove box.

"Damn straight, Chevy, Harley and John Deere." He said matter of factly.

"So you're loyal" she supposed.

"I'm not a dog" he groaned at the way she said loyal.

"I didn't say you were. I only concluded from your statement that you are a loyal person. You are loyal to those three brands which is probably just the tip of the iceberg. You probably only use Zest or only use Gillette or only wear Brut"

"Axe, Chocolate Axe" he smiled, hitting the send button.

After three rings, "Hey Charlie, do you think you can get the plane fueled and schedule a flight plan filed to Denver Colorado within the hour?"

He listened as he watched Elizabeth's eyes grow wide. "Uh…two of us but I'm not sure"

Covering the cell with his hand he asked her, "Were you planning to return tonight or tomorrow or when?"

"Um…tomorrow night actually." She replied

"Tomorrow night, whenever the normal plane was planning to come in, around then." He looked over to her and nodded. "Cool, we'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay so…" He looked up to see Jimmy backing up his tow truck to make a u-turn and pull the Ford out of the ditch. "Let's get your luggage and then I need to go get at least my toiletry kit and a change of clothes."

"You have an airplane?" she asked completely shocked, eyes wide as flying saucers and jaw slack.

"Yeah, I've had one for a few years now. I love flying and it makes it easier for me when I want to head home from the boat." He said as if it were no big deal.

"And you're going to fly me all the way to Denver and then wait for me and then bring me back?"

"Sure, you need help and I don't really have any plans." Jason opened up the door and jumped down from the cab. He turned back to her and smiled, "Call and make a reservation for me wherever you're staying in Colorado and I'll go get your suitcase. Is it in the trunk?"

"Uh yes but…" he nodded and then shut the door effectively cutting her off.

A few minutes later he climbed back up into the truck and waved at Jimmy who was done hooking up the car and just waiting for Jason to move so that he could pull the car out of the ditch.

"You sure do pack a lot of stuff for an overnight trip." He commented, not really upset but just not thinking that she was like every other woman he knew in that aspect.

"Oh, no, not normally but that's all of my stuff. I…well I was going to find somewhere different to stay when I came back."

"Why?"

"Because…you remember me telling you about my ex, Lucky."

"Yeah the camera guy"

"Well he's been really obnoxious the past few days and tack on Patrick Drake and I just…"

"Don't want to stay in the same hotel as those two panting pests?"

"Yeah" she laughed "I loved my hotel room but if Patrick wasn't knocking on the door, Lucky was calling and I couldn't leave my room without running into one of them."

She realized how that must sound so she back pedaled a bit "Don't get me wrong. Patrick Drake is a wonderful producer. And Lucky, he's a great camera man. I mean, they are both really great people."

"Please don't do that with me." He sighed.

"Do what?" she asked.

"I'd really rather you didn't say anything just to try to stonewall me. If you don't want me to know the truth about what you think then just don't tell me."

"I didn't…"

"Yes you did." He pulled onto the road and headed back toward Jakes. "Patrick Drake was a total leach the other night and honestly, led me to believe you two were sharing a hotel room. Not really sure why...and Lucky, the first day I met you I saw how pathetically he begs you to take him back. Now they may be really good TV people but to you they are a couple of…"

"Pricks" she supplied for him and they both laughed.

"Yes, pricks" he agreed.

They went to Jakes and Elizabeth waited in the truck while he went in to pack a bag. She noticed on the side door to the establishment that there was a vacancy in the room rentals and decided to call the number to find out about it. Once Jason was back in the car she was done with her phone calls and they were on their way to the small airstrip on the other side of the bay.

"So did you get me a room?" He asked as they pulled the truck up to the hangar.

"Oh…about that…"

"What? All booked up because of the game?"

"No, no…actually I don't even have a room."

"Oh so you're staying with friends?" he asked hoping it wasn't a boyfriend she'd be staying with and also wondering where he'd end up sleeping.

"No, actually I uh…I have an apartment in Denver"

"Oh…well that's convenient"

"Yeah, since I graduated college and split from Lucky, I got an apartment and immediately came to work for Jax Productions. I travel all the time so I just kept the apartment as a kind of home base."

"That makes sense but how does that help me?"

"Well, I was thinking that…I mean…if you don't want to I'll get you a hotel room and all but I was thinking that…" she started chewing on her bottom lip and Jason felt his pants tighten at the sight.

"Thinking what?" he practically groaned.

"Well, I…I have a spare room that has a futon but that's where I paint so if the fumes are too much…not that they should be because when I was home last I didn't even have time to paint and it's been a while and all but you could always sleep on my couch or whatever."

She was rambling and it sounded adorable but it was the 'or whatever' that caused his head to jerk toward her, capturing her eyes with his he just stared for a few moments.

"I mean…you probably would rather be at a hotel anyway and there's one near my house that I'm sure has a room since it's not near the stadium and I mean it's Denver so there's like millions of hotels and all and…"

He cut her off "No, I'd love to stay at your place as long as you're okay with that. I don't want to make you feel obligated to provide me with a place to stay."

"Oh no, I'd enjoy that. I can show off some of my paintings while we're there and it'd be so much easier since we'll need to get dressed for the game and everything."

"Get dressed?" He looked down at his clothes "I can't wear this?"

"Oh sure you can. Jeans and a t-shirt is the required uniform for a college football game. And I think I might even have a football jersey you could wear over your black long sleeved t-shirt that would look perfect." She sighed "I have to dress up because well…I'm crowning the queen but I'm going to take Jeans and my CSU Sweatshirt to change into once I'm done so I can enjoy the game."

She looked at him and laughed "The football jersey will fit. It was one of the linebackers jerseys when I was in school. He gave it to me for a skit we did for Delta Tau Delta and I needed to dress like a football player."

"Okay but I didn't know I was going to the game" he said as he climbed out of the truck and motioned for her to get out on his side.

"Well what did you think you would be doing? I think that would be horribly rude of me to just let you fly me home and then tell you to wait around bored while I went out and had fun. We'll go out and have fun together." She grabbed onto his forearms as he helped her down from the truck. "And maybe I can prove to you that The Rocky Mountain Showdown is the worlds SECOND biggest cocktail party."

Once again both of them noticed the electricity that coursed through the two of them as she practically slid down his body to the ground.


End file.
